SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pablo Sandoval saw the farewell Sergio Romo got last season, signing up for spring training with the franchise he won three World Series with and a final appearance in front of the home fans.
“I don’t want to do that,” Sandoval said Monday, standing in front of a freshly printed No. 48 jersey in the San Francisco Giants’ spring training clubhouse. “Not yet.”
At 37 years old, three years removed from his last major-league at-bat, the beloved Kung Fu Panda is back in Scottsdale this spring. He signed a minor-league deal with a non-roster invitation to big-league camp that was made official Monday, the day of the team’s first full-squad workout.
There’s nothing ceremonial about this opportunity, according to Sandoval, who appeared noticeably trimmer than the last time he wore the uniform. (Weight isn’t the only thing he has dropped: Sandoval, a former switch-hitter, will only bat from the left side.)
“I want to play baseball. I want to get back,” Sandoval said. “This is going to be an inspiration for me after being out for a long time. Get back on track. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s a big challenge, a good challenge for me. Being through this before, this one is going to be more special for me.”
While manager Bob Melvin was on the other side of the bay for the majority of Sandoval’s original tenure in San Francisco, he got to know him at the 2012 All-Star Game and welcomed the message relayed by Farhan Zaidi earlier this week that Sandoval would be signing up for camp.
“He’s had a big impact on this over the years. He’s got an infectious personality,” Melvin said. “He’s experienced. He’s motivated. I think there’s a lot that can rub off on some of our younger guys too.”
That said, Melvin didn’t sugarcoat the odds of Sandoval cracking the Opening Day roster.
“He doesn’t want to hear anything about what his chances are,” Melvin said. “He’s gonna go out there and he’s going to play and he’s gonna try to force our hand.”
Sandoval hasn’t played in the major leagues since he was released by Cleveland upon being traded there from Atlanta at the 2021 trade deadline.
But he hasn’t stopped playing baseball.
Sandoval split time in 2022 between two teams in the Mexican League. He played winter ball in Venezuela after the 2021 season, and traveled to Puerto Rico to play there this past winter. Last season, Sandoval signed up for the inaugural season of Dubai’s professional league.
“I went to Dubai because I wanted to play one more time,” Sandoval said.
But it was there that his son, Liam, began to develop a love for the game. He saw that his father hadn’t lost his passion, either.
“He started working out in the cage and he started loving baseball,” Sandoval said. “And he saw that I wanted that and that I could still hit the ball to the moon, so he asked, why don’t you keep playing? When I came back I took it more seriously.”
A contract is a two-way street, and Sandoval had to pique the Giants’ interest.
He began laying the groundwork when he paid a visit to Oracle Park last July.
“I told them I’ll be back next year,” he said. “They thought I was joking. But I was serious.”
Upon returning to Miami from the Middle East, Sandoval began working out. Eventually, he sent video of himself in the batting cage to Farhan Zaidi, who had brought him into camp on a minor-league deal once before, in 2020.
“The first time that I sent video to the guys, they were excited because of the shape that I was in,” Sandoval said. “I’m looking forward to getting back in the field. It’s been a long time. I’m gonna enjoy this time.”
The Giants’ infield is crowded, and Sandoval’s odds of cracking the major-league roster are long. He didn’t say whether he would accept an assignment to Triple-A Sacramento. But his presence should brighten camp for everyone, especially the contingent of young Latino players who have long admired him.
Outfielder Luis Matos, 22, said he watched Sandoval, a fellow countryman, while growing up in Venezuela.
In 2020, Sandoval got to know shortstop Marco Luciano, 21, who’s now in camp as the presumptive Opening Day shortstop.
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“I’m very happy that he’s here,” Luciano said through Spanish-language interpreter Erwin Higueros. “He can help all of us. He’s gone through what I’m going to go through and has a lot of experience. … During the pandemic, I met him in San Francisco. That’s where we established our friendship. He gave me a few tips and kind of guided me on things I can improve. From then on, we just kept in touch.”
The shortstop job, Luciano’s target this spring, hasn’t been open since the spring following Sandoval’s first full season in San Francisco, in 2010. The next year, it would be seized by Brandon Crawford, who is still searching for his next opportunity after the Giants let his contract expire following last season.
Sandoval, now, is the only connective tissue to the Giants’ championship era in their clubhouse this spring.
“I feel kind of old being the only guy here,” Sandoval said. “But it’s an exciting opportunity. … I’m looking forward to getting back in the field. It’s been a long time. I’m gonna enjoy this time.”`
