In the end, the Red Sox got neither power hitting nor adequate defense from their corner infielders in 2015, aside from about two months at the end of the season when Travis Shaw handled first base and put up an .822 OPS.
Pablo Sandoval didn’t need to be the 2009 National League MVP candidate version of himself in Boston, he just needed to be average. It would’ve been better than what the Red Sox have gotten at the hot corner since Kevin Youkilis left in 2011. And it’s what the Red Sox were willing to pay Sandoval $17 million per season to do.