Pablo Sandoval may have been offended by Giants offer

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Free agent third baseman Pablo Sandoval and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a multiyear contract, and the switch-hitting slugger informed the San Francisco Giants he's leaving.

Giants fans were disappointed when they found out Sandoval signed a contract with the Boston Red Sox.

The Giants confirmed Monday that Pablo Sandoval signed a deal worth nearly $100 million with the Red Sox.

Catching the final out of this year's World Series will stand as Panda's last and perhaps most memorable moment as a Giants player.

Sandoval won three World Series in five years, capturing MVP honors in the 2012 World Series Championship.

Those feats and more have made the Kung Fu Panda a fan favorite.

PHOTOS: SF Giants Panda fan photos!

"He really performed in a lot of different situations and he brought a lot of spirit to the team. The fans loved him, what can you say?" San Jose resident Steve Levine said.

One of Sandoval's most-outspoken teammates, Hunter Pence, urged the Giants to re-sign him during last month's World Series celebration.

Following the Oct. 31 victory parade, Sandoval said he wanted to play the rest of his career for the Giants.

Now, Panda is off to Boston to play his home games at Fenway Park pending him passing a physical.

The Giants could have signed Panda in spring training, but low balled him on their offer. Sandoval wasn't happy about their approach and decided to take a wait and see attitude on the season.

The Giants wanted to see if he would keep his weight off and what a year he had, so the Giants basically gambled and lost.

Sandoval hit .279 with 16 homers and 73 RBIs in 157 regular-season games for the Giants and .366 in the postseason with seven doubles and five RBIs, four during the World Series against Kansas City.

"I want to wear that jersey for the rest of my career," Sandoval said after the parade. "I'm going to go from what my heart tells me."

Having the chance to eventually become a designated hitter could have factored into his choice.

Sandoval has three World Series rings with San Francisco, but was the driving force in 2012 and 2014. Two years ago, he paced the Giants in Game 1, hitting 3 homeruns against Detroit ace Justin Verlander this past October. He set a major league mark by collecting 26 hits in a postseason.

Sandoval was also one of the biggest fan favorites to play for the Giants in a generation, joining the likes of Will Clark and Barry Bonds.

He was also a marketing bonanza with the Panda hats scattered all over AT&T Park.

He had these thoughts during the World Series Victory Parade on returning. "I just try the best that I can, you know I love being here with my teammates. I love being here with the fans, I love being a part of this. You know and five years we got three World Series, this is exciting," Sandoval said.

The Giants released a statement saying, "He has been with us through some of the greatest moments in San Francisco Giants history. His connection with Giants fans, young and old, is truly special and he will be missed. We wish him nothing but the best in Boston."

After the season, Sandoval declined to answer when asked whether he might accept a hometown discount. He has faced constant criticism about his ever-changing waistline and the fact he performs in the postseason but is far from a consistent performer in the first 162 games.

Sandoval and the Giants traded offers in the spring but failed to reach a deal.

General manager Brian Sabean said earlier this month much of his offseason business would be dictated by what the club does with Sandoval. Other free agents are starting pitchers Jake Peavy and Ryan Vogelsong, reliever Sergio Romo and left fielder Michael Morse.

The Giants now are likely to show interest in free agent third baseman Chase Headley. Sabean said when the season ended that Sandoval was the No. 1 priority before anything else got done to build the 2015 roster.

Headley, acquired by the Yankees from San Diego in July, could be an option to take over from Alex Rodriguez as the primary third baseman if New York is able to re-sign him.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.