Rumor: Pablo Sandoval not likely to re-sign with Giants, unless he is

It's silly season. One of two that happen in baseball every year. Rumors fly around, and most of them are bunk. Today we have Dennis O'Donnell of CBS reporting that two sources are telling him that the Red Sox have a 90-percent chance of signing Pablo Sandoval, with the Blue Jays filling in the rest with a 10-percent chance. Which means the Giants are essentially out.

Your instinct is to laugh at the local reporter who rarely breaks Giants news. Your instinct doesn't remember 2012.

Oh, how we laughed back then. The trade didn't materialize immediately, and the local reporter was the butt of jokes among rumor junkies. Then he was right. He even had Tommy Joseph in the reported deal. He was so danged right.

Which means it's probably safe to start freaking out a little bit.

After the freakout subsides, we can start rosterbating like an asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, because this would sure free up a lot of money. But the freakout would last a long, long time. Here's hoping O'Donnell is batting .500 with his sources, because I don't want to watch Sandoval play for another team just yet.

But you're saying there's a chance ...

So what happened with the Giants? I'm told they were never his first choice, which is why he asked for seven years - a request the Giants were highly unlikely to accommodate. If the Giants want to get back in the race, they will have to up the ante, which team officials are considering.

Yes, there's still a chance. Except the Giants will have to give out a gross contract to do it. This might be the proper spot to back away and remember the good times. Which were, like, three weeks ago. I'm not ready to do that yet, though. Not yet.

Update: I hate the offseason so damned much.

Pablo's agent responding to our prod @JLib21 on @KPIXSPORTS report that he's gone from SF: "I don't know, maybe they know more than me"

— John Lund (@JohnLundRadio) November 19, 2014

Was just told - emphatically -- by a major league source that the SF report of the Giants being out on Sandoval is "NOT'' accurate.

— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) November 19, 2014