Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

All's quiet on the Sandoval front

BOSTON -- While a Channel 7 TV crew was there to greet Pablo Sandoval upon his arrival at Logan Airport on Monday afternoon, seeming to catch the free-agent third baseman by surprise, his visit with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday proceeded with considerably more privacy.

As of Tuesday night, the only public viewing of a Panda came at the Museum of Science, where the IMAX theater is showing "Pandas: The Journey Home," a title that dovetails nicely with how the Sox would like Sandoval to regard his visit to Boston.

But the Kung Fu Panda, as Sandoval was dubbed by San Francisco Giants teammate Barry Zito, managed to stay out of sight. No tweets, Facebook postings or selfies floating on the 'Net. No appearance on the video board at TD Garden, where the Bruins were playing, no stroll along the Freedom Trail, no ride on a duck boat.

It can be confirmed that Sandoval did spend time at Fenway Park, along with agent Gustavo Vasquez and Michael Sandoval, his big brother who also acts as an agent. There he met with Sox ownership and the team's baseball operations staff, led by GM Ben Cherington. They presumably adjourned for dinner at some point -- hold the jokes about the all-you-can-eat buffets -- but not even a publicity hungry maƮtre d' was volunteering where.

Thus it remains uncertain whether the Sox availed themselves of a preemptive strike, offering Sandoval the kind of contract that would dissuade him of any plans to return to San Francisco. Sandoval has helped the Giants to three World Series titles in five years, playing a huge role in the 2012 and 2014 title runs, but the Giants did not discourage Sandoval from testing his value on the free-agent market, and there are hints that they could be outbid for Sandoval's services.

The Sox, with an obvious need at third base -- and a left-handed bat -- have the financial flexibility under the luxury tax threshold to handle a price tag of at least $90 million that Sandoval may be wearing. But given the weight issues that have saddled Sandoval since 2010, the Sox aren't expected to display much enthusiasm for the six-year deal that Vasquez said his client wants. There are ways to get around that hurdle, of course, like an option for the sixth year that vests with a certain number of plate appearances. And as an American League team that will have a need for a DH when David Ortiz retires, the Sox may have a greater tolerance for potential weight issues than Sandoval's former employers.

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