I think we keep forgetting what I see as the key context for the Sandoval signing.
2014 saw both a low point for offense, and a strike zone that was drifting downward. Sandoval's skills as a bad ball line drive hitter seemed like they would be rewarded in that climate. That wasn't a crazy idea.
But then the league changed the strike zone and goosed the ball. They didn't announce any of this, but it definitely happened. Cherington was responding to trends that weren't actually trends, which was, well, dumb. I'd want to be confident of these things before dropping $90m or whatever. But they weren't trends because of Manfred's more interventionist approach as Commissioner.
In the end, the move didn't work because Sandoval fell apart, skills-wise and health-wise. But some part of this saga is that Cherington was hung out to dry by the league.
2014 saw both a low point for offense, and a strike zone that was drifting downward. Sandoval's skills as a bad ball line drive hitter seemed like they would be rewarded in that climate. That wasn't a crazy idea.
But then the league changed the strike zone and goosed the ball. They didn't announce any of this, but it definitely happened. Cherington was responding to trends that weren't actually trends, which was, well, dumb. I'd want to be confident of these things before dropping $90m or whatever. But they weren't trends because of Manfred's more interventionist approach as Commissioner.
In the end, the move didn't work because Sandoval fell apart, skills-wise and health-wise. But some part of this saga is that Cherington was hung out to dry by the league.