Red Sox introduce Pablo Sandoval with press conference

In a press conference earlier today, the Red Sox officially announced their 5 year/$95M contract (with a club option for 2020) with Pablo Sandoval and introduced the jovial third baseman to the crowd of reporters who occupied Fenway Park’s press room.

Sandoval has clearly began a top target for the Red Sox since the onset of the offseason and Ben Cherington had plenty of kind words regarding Sandoval during the press conference.

"He really embodies a lot of what we care about,” Cherington said. “This is a guy that has been a big winner. He’s been a performer when it counts the most. He’s respected as a teammate, loves to play and we think really fits what we’re all about here and we’re really looking forward to having him in a Red Sox uniform in the middle of our lineup for years to come."

Sandoval seems similarly excited at the prospect of wearing a Red Sox uniform for the next five years. And in addition to his general excitement of joining the Red Sox organization, Sandoval will be happy to welcome former rival Hanley Ramirez to Boston alongside himself.

"We are good friends. We have a good relationship,” Sandoval said of Ramirez. “We had dinner last night and were talking about all the good moments we had in the West and the [Giants-Dodgers] rivalry. Now being on the same team is going to be fun. He’s such a great guy."

As exciting as all this is for the Red Sox organization and Sandoval, it’s even more exciting to Red Sox Nation. Sandoval and Ramirez are a pair of acquisitions that could easily bump this Red Sox offense into elite level around Major League Baseball with big bats up and down the lineup.

The Red Sox plan to introduce Hanley Ramirez with another press conference tomorrow.