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Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Thursday that Travis Shaw has won the starting job at third base over Pablo Sandoval.

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe passed along word of the decision from Farrell, who met with both players Thursday morning to inform them of the decision.

"I'm not going to take this opportunity for granted," Shaw said after learning of his spot in the starting lineup, per Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.

Shaw has outperformed Sandoval at the plate during spring training, hitting .333 with a .377 on-base percentage across 20 games. Sandoval has a .244 average and .279 OBP in 16 games.

That said, Farrell noted "defense became a deciding factor" in the final decision as well, per Britton.

Sandoval admitted "it's the right decision to help the team win," and because of that, he's happy despite heading to the bench for the time being, according to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.

However, Sandoval's agent Rick Thurman didn't agree, saying ""if you want to win, why leave the ferrari in the garage?" per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

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While all of the on-field signs point to Shaw being the right choice, it's still a bit surprising given the financial commitment the Red Sox made to Sandoval last offseason. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post spotlighted the money still owed to the 29-year-old infielder:

Sandoval has provided almost no bang for that buck. He posted a career-low .292 OBP during his first season in Boston while hitting just 10 home runs. Pictures of him early in spring training this year became a viral sensation, as he looked out of shape.

Though the former San Francisco Giants star has never been a physical specimen, the extra weight started to have an impact on his ability to defend third base. His minus-11 Defensive Runs Saved figure last season tied the worst mark of his career, according to FanGraphs.

Looking ahead, the Red Sox would probably love to rid themselves of Sandoval, even if it meant eating a sizable portion of his remaining contract. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Monday the San Diego Padres were scouting the third baseman.

Otherwise, they're stuck with an extremely high-priced bench player for the foreseeable future. Shaw has been the better player throughout spring training, and he shined with 13 homers in just 65 games as a rookie last season, so the team will stick with him as long as he keeps slugging.

It's been a rapid fall from grace for Sandoval, who won three World Series titles and got selected to the All-Star Game twice while with the Giants. Now, his future is a mystery as he prepares to watch the start of the new season from the dugout.