Optimism that a deal is going to get worked out hovers over the talks between Pablo Sandoval and the San Francisco Giants, to the degree that some potential bidders for the third baseman have started doing more background work on market alternatives.

Optimism doesn’t always translate into an actual deal, of course. If Sandoval’s side is stuck on a particular number, then the Giants could always move on to other options.

But rival officials are watching the Sandoval bidding and reading the tea leaves, and are increasingly having difficulty envisioning him signing elsewhere.