Report: Boston Red Sox Meant to Sign Pablo Sanchez, Not Sandoval

In a recent interview with Sunny Day and Vinnie the Gooch of Backyard Sports, former Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington revealed that the signing of third baseman Pablo Sandoval to a five-year, $95 million contract in November 2014 was a mistake.

“Autocorrect got us on that one,” said Cherington, who admitted that the contract offer was supposed to be for international prospect Pablo Sanchez of the BBL. “We really liked Sanchez for his incredible abilities at the plate, versatility in the field, and ability to pitch if necessary. Unfortunately, thanks to the misspelling, we ended up with Sandoval, who has performed rather poorly.”

Although Cherington is no longer the general manager of the Red Sox, he still regrets the mistake.

“I’m really disappointed that we missed out on Sanchez. There’s a reason they call him ‘The Secret Weapon.’ I’ll never forget the time he homered 12 times in that game against the Mighty Wombats,” Cherington recalled. “It would have been fun to see what he could do at Fenway.”

Sanchez, who will turn just 19 years old this upcoming August, still believes he will eventually reach an agreement with a major league organization. When asked for comment, Sanchez said, through a translator, “I am disappointed that the Red Sox organization failed to double check their work before agreeing to a big contract with the wrong player. I am also disappointed that my agent, Dmitri Petrovich, did not act quickly enough to ensure that I was signed.”

Fenway Park would have been a great fit for Sanchez, and the Green Monster would have made for some exciting home runs. Sanchez can take just about any pitch and belt it 450+ feet.

Instead, the Red Sox are stuck with Sandoval, who will start the 2016 season on the bench despite being set to earn $17.6 million this year. Travis Shaw will see some time at the hot corner in place of Sandoval.

Sources tell Baseball Essential that it may not be long before Sanchez finds himself in a professional organization. Both the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins have shown interest in Sanchez, whose favorite holiday is April Fools’ Day.