Report: Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval seeking $100 million contract
Pablo Sandoval has 92 home runs, 395 RBIs and an .818 OPS in seven seasons with the Giants. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
The Panda could be in for a big payday.
Third baseman Pablo Sandoval is aiming high in contract talks with the Giants, as he's seeking at least $100 million on a five-year deal, sources told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
The 27-year-old native of Venezuela is a two-time All-Star and was 2012 World Series MVP, but his batting average and OPS have declined each of the last two seasons. He is only hitting .165 with two homers and six RBIs in 21 games heading into Friday's series opener against the Indians.
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Talks between the two sides broke down earlier this month, when Giants general manager Brian Sabean said "we've given our best shot" regarding negotiations.
Now, Heyman writes, "Sabean, the architect of two World Series winners and incredible organizational and player continuity, went so far as to declare in an interview with CSN Bay Area that in this case Sandoval and his agent were 'drawing a line in the sand' that the team shouldn't and wouldn't meet.
"Gustavo Vazquez, the longtime agent for Sandoval, expressed surprise at hearing such a characterization. While sitting at a restaurant [in Fort Lauderdale] on the famed coast Route AIA which runs along the beach, Sandoval responded to Sabean's suggestion with humor. Referring to the 'line in the sand' remark, Vazquez, peering across the street to the ocean, said with a smile, 'Maybe he knows I'm in Florida.'"
The club's first offer to Sandoval this spring was for three years, $40 million, and they've since upped it to four years with an option, Heyman reports.
Sandoval, who hit .278 with 14 homers and 79 RBIs in 141 games last season, would be one of the top free-agent position players this coming offseason, according to Heyman.
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