Several years ago, I said the signing of Ryan Howard to a long term extension would be an absolute disaster and there were several posters who criticized me on that one. How has that turned out?
Sandoval has that same body type as Howard. If anything Howard was lankier than Pablo.I will give that Sandoval is a more consistant hitter than Howard but with far less power. When Pablo with his swing at anything approach loses even a little bat speed all that will be left is a.265 hitter with 10-15 HR power who doesn't draw walks. That's not even a GOOD DH. If he keeps his weight in check he may be productive for two to three years. I feel he might hit 20 or 22 HRs in Fenway. But like RJM said, Ortiz is a special case in the way he aged and remained highly productive. But as a hitter Sandoval is not even close to Ortiz.
One last thing. If he is not as advertised, the Fenway fans will eat him for lunch and he might crumble mentally.