Giants' top exec jokes that relentless self-promotion helped fuel Pablo Sandoval's return

The San Francisco Giants signed infielder Pablo Sandoval as a non-roster invitee to spring training on Saturday, bringing him back for a third stint with the team. To hear the team's top executive tell it, he didn't have much of a choice.

According to San Francisco Chronicle reporter Susan Slusser, Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said, "We had to sign Pablo because the workout videos he was sending me were taking up all the space on my phone."

Sandoval, 37, previously played with the Giants from 2008 to 2014 and 2017 to 2020. He won three World Series titles with them in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and was named 2012 World Series MVP after going 8-for-16 at the plate with three home runs, all of which came in Game 1.

The Venezuela native hasn't appeared in an MLB game since July 2021, when he played for the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta traded him to Cleveland, where he was released immediately, at the trade deadline that year.

After that, Sandoval played a season in the Mexican League in 2022 and did not play professional baseball in 2023. In October, he was drafted in Baseball United, a new baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia.

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Pablo Sandoval makes clubhouse entrance

Though Zaidi's comment was almost certainly a joke, Sandoval clearly has been working hard to get into playing shape to make an MLB return.

In a video posted to the Giants' social media feeds, the 37 year old debuted a slimmed-down look as he re-entered the San Francisco clubhouse.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco Giants' Farhan Zaidi explains Pablo Sandoval signing