The Giants might actually be interested in Pablo Sandoval

Pablo Sandoval left the Giants after the 2014 season. He said that he missed Bruce Bochy and Hunter Pence and absolutely nobody else. Then he stunk for two-plus seasons, but only when he wasn’t hurt. This was the end of the Giants and Pablo Sandoval.

And yet. And yet. I didn’t want to believe it, but I heard it with my own two ears. Bobby Evans is actually considering a reunion.

“It’s possible, we’ll just have to see what the Red Sox do and see how this plays out,” Evans said.

One thing about Evans is that he’s remarkably candid for a GM, usually. He would have had no problem suggesting that the Giants had zero interest because a 30-year-old hitter who has struggled for the last three years. “I don’t think he would fit in with our desire to get younger/build a contender for 2018, quite frankly” would have been a very reasonable deflection. Instead, the idea isn’t dismissed out of hand.

I guess the easiest way to process this is to stop thinking about Pablo Sandoval and start thinking about Paulo Salvador, a player I just invented who happens to have the exact same career statistics as Sandoval.

Paulo Salvador is going to make the major-league minimum, with no contract commitments. That’s pretty cool.

Paulo Salvador averaged 3 WAR per season for the first seven years of his career, and he cratered only when he left for an unfamiliar, high-pressure situation. The Giants are looking kinda good with one change-of-scenery disaster this year. Isn’t this the season to try stuff out like that?

Paulo Salvador is known as “The Armadillo” and Giants fans just happen to have closets filled with armadillo shells that they used to wear to the games proudly, for some reason. It was so cute when an entire section would curl up into little balls when a line drive foul ball came into their section.

Wouldn’t it make sense to give Salvador a chance?

This is the same thing, just with ALL OF THE BAGGAGE.

Really, I would think the Giants would be far more interested in Ryder Jones and what he can do when he stops getting hit with baseballs. I’m not sure if Jones is capable of being a major leaguer by next year, but now is the time to find out.

But if Pablo wants familiarity and is willing to show off in Triple-A to work up to a bench job, then maybe? It’s hard to fathom, but if you strip the baggage and connotations away, it’s a situation that isn’t much different than Sam Dyson.

It’s just not possible to chuck that baggage into the river that’s accessible only because the bridge was burned. It would be the weirdest danged thing.

But it could happen. Bobby Evans didn’t dismiss it out of hand, and stranger things have happened.

Guess it’s time to exercise Matt Cain’s option and see what Tim Lincecum is up to. Because if you’re going to be an old band playing the same three songs at the county fair, you might as well get all of the original members who are willing to jam.

Update: It’s officiallllllllll