Red Sox Watch Donaldson Get Paid Less Than Sandoval

If you thought Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval was overpaid before, AL MVP Josh Donaldson just settled for less money with the Toronto Blue Jays.

That’s right, folks! The Blue Jays third baseman agreed to take less money for the next two years than what Sandoval receives for doing the same job. Just not at the same expectation of performance.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reported that the 2015 American League MVP, nicknamed the ‘Bringer of Rain’, agreed to “a two-year deal worth nearly $29 million.”

Here is what Donaldson had to say about the deal:

Davidi added that the Blue Jays are also very happy about the deal: “Responding to a fan question about a long-term deal for Donaldson, general manager Ross Atkins said: ‘We want him here as long as humanly possible.’” The Blue Jays are smiling from ear to ear that they have contractual control over Donaldson for another two years, giving them more time to work out another contract to make him a franchise player for the foreseeable future.

To put the numbers into perspective, Donaldson will be paid $14.5 million a season while Sandoval will be paid $17.5 million each year. A man who was one of the catalysts for Toronto’s playoff run and hit 41 home runs and 123 RBIs is happy about being paid less than a man who hit 10 homers and 47 RBIs.

Anyone else see the flaw, here?

Even through projections, which are never definitive proof of anything, one can see how Boston may regret, just a tad, how much that they are paying the big Venezuelan. Baseball-Reference.com projects Sandoval to hit .264 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs. Donaldson is projected to hit .278 with 29 homers and 93 RBIs. A bit of a drop-off for the A.L. MVP looks more like celebration for Red Sox Nation if the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ came even near those totals.

We’re not even going to mention defense, here.

Sandoval is under contractual control until after the 2019 season, with a $17 million team option and a $5 million buy-out clause. If Sandoval was to have his bat catch fire, like Donaldson’s did last season, that might make it all worth while. At least the Red Sox would have their third baseman around for seasons to come, with no contract issues in two years like Donaldson. However, Sandoval has never hit more than 90 RBIs since that 2009 season. The closest he’s gotten to Donaldson in recent memory is 2013 when he hit 79 RBIs.

Even if Sandoval was to recreate the success that he had in San Francisco with the Giants, it would still be a performance that the Red Sox would be overpaying for.

It is true that Donaldson’s original deal was with the Oakland Athletics before he was traded to Toronto, hence why he was making peanuts before this recent agreement. In 2014, in his first All-Star season, Donaldson was playing for Oakland for only $500 thousand. Donaldson could have went to arbitration with the Blue Jays, seeking to make the Sandoval bucks, if not even more. Donaldson’s stock has never been higher; yet, his happy time in Toronto and other factors led him to take less money for now.

Did Sandoval do that when he left the Giants, when his stock was up from another World Series championship, knowing that the Red Sox were trying to rebuild a playoff contender? No. Why should he? He was offered money and he took it. Not his fault. However, watching Donaldson take less money to defend his MVP title while Sandoval tries to salvage what’s left of his career and reputation as a baseball player has to stick in some guts of Red Sox Nation. Even if just a little bit.