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Eight most intriguing spring training battles

Spring training

Boston Red Sox: Pablo Sandoval vs. Brock Holt

The first two years of the Panda’s career in Boston have been awful. In 2015, he slashed at .245/.292/.336 and hit only 10 home runs. At the time, those were all career lows. He then missed nearly all of 2016, logging only six at-bats.

Both with the Red Sox and San Francisco Giants, Sandoval’s struggles have almost coincided with a weight gain. Fans throughout New England can breathe a temporary sigh of relief because right now, it looks like he’s in decent shape.

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Holt is another interesting end of this. At one point, Boston seemed to have high hopes for his future with the team. But thus far, his MLB career has been fairly underwhelming.

A strong camp from Sandoval would make him the Red Sox third baseman. His massive contract is untradeable. But with a bad spring training, Boston would almost be obligated to leave the Panda on the bench. This is especially true if Holt performs well.

But what happens if they both play well?

In that case, the Red Sox would have a potential trade chip in Holt. He’s been underwhelming throughout his career but is not even 29. He wouldn’t be the first hitter to bloom a little late.

As is the case with the Cubs, this is interesting for a few reasons. One, can a guy with a huge contract redeem himself? Two, can a once promising player make a good enough showing for himself to be a trade option and a valuable asset for another team.

Multiple layers make this one intriguing.

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