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Red Sox CEO: Sandoval's comments about Boston were 'really frustrating'

Sergio Estrada / USA TODAY Sports

Pablo Sandoval's remarks about his time in Boston in a recent Players' Tribune article aren't sitting well with Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy.

"It was disappointing, it was really frustrating," Kennedy said on Kirk and Callahan Tuesday.

Sandoval was an extreme disappointment in Boston and was released by the club last month with close to $50 million remaining on his deal. He eventually signed a minor-league deal to return to the San Francisco Giants, and proceeded to pen an emotional article Monday that detailed his struggles in Boston, and his long-held desire to return to the Bay Area.

"At the end of the day, I just never felt comfortable in Boston," Sandoval said. "It had nothing to do with the organization, or my teammates, or the fans, or the city. Everybody was great to me. I think it was just something that happens sometimes - you don't feel comfortable somewhere, or you don't fit in, even if you're in a place you chose to be. In Boston, I was lost. It just never felt like home.

"And I think that's another reason I struggled so much the last couple of years: Because every day I spent in Boston, my heart was still back in San Francisco."

Manager John Farrell pointed out Monday that it was Sandoval's decision to leave San Francisco in the first place, and acknowledged that the Red Sox went above and beyond to take care of his needs both on and off the field.

The five-year, $90-million signing in 2014 will go down as arguably the worst in Red Sox history. Kennedy admits it was a major mistake by the front office.

"We're the ones bringing these guys in and if it doesn't work out, that's on us, it's on ownership, it's on management, so we have to take responsibility for it," he said. "The whole Pablo saga was just unfortunate, and I wish it played out better because he's got a fun personality, he's played well obviously in the postseason, and we thought that would translate well here, and boy were we wrong."

Sandoval ended his Red Sox career hitting .237/.286/.360 with 14 home runs, 101 strikeouts, and minus-2.6 WAR in 161 games across three seasons

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