Surprise, surprise. The Boston Red Sox wasted no time this off-season, making a huge splash when they signed two big free agents on Monday: Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez.

Sandoval, fresh off a World Series victory with the Giants, signed a five-year, $95 million deal with a $17 million club option for a sixth year. Ramirez, who spent the past two full seasons with the Dodgers, signed a four-year, $88 million deal with a fifth-year vesting option worth an additional $22 million.

Ramirez originally signed with the Red Sox to begin his career in 2000. After the 2005 season, he was traded to the Marlins in a deal that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston. Ramirez won Rookie of the Year the following season in Miami.

The more exciting player of the two, to me, is Sandoval. We discussed after the 2013 season if David Ortiz is the greatest World Series hitter of all time. Sandoval, the 2012 World Series MVP, has definitely put himself into that conversation after this past season, his third championship in the last five years.

Sandoval’s .344 batting average in the postseason is best in baseball history among players with at least 150 plate appearances. In 50 career plate appearances in the World Series, he’s hitting an astronomical .426. This is a guy, like Ortiz, who turns it on when games matter most.

Kung Fu Panda, a nickname that makes Sandoval a favorite in my book, provides a much needed everyday third baseman for Boston, a position they’ve tried to fill up for years. Despite his weight, (he’s listed at 5-foot-11, 248 pounds) Sandoval is certainly not a liability defensively, and regularly ranks among the best in baseball.

Without getting too nerdy, Baseball Info Solutions analyzes every play of every game, and categorizes them into two groups: Good Fielding Plays and Defensive Misplays and Errors. Sandoval had a 2-to-1 Good Play/Misplay ratio in 2014, which ranked him second in the majors behind only Josh Harrison of the Pirates. Just to add some perspective.

It appears the thought process of bringing in a guy like Sandoval would be as a potential DH replacement for David Ortiz once he retires. That’s a definite possibility, but until Sandoval proves otherwise, expect him guarding the left corner of the infield for the next few years.

Hanley Ramirez comes as a slightly uncharacteristic high-risk, high-reward move for GM Ben Cherington. The raw talent is there for Ramirez, but the major question marks surround his ability to stay on the field and his actions off it.

In addition to his 2006 NL Rookie of the Year award, Ramirez also won the batting title in 2009 and is a career .300 hitter. His numbers have dipped over the past few years, mostly due to his inability to stay on healthy. In the past four seasons with the Dodgers and Marlins, Ramirez has hit just .277 and played in an average of 116 games per season.

Earlier in his career his immaturity was a concern as well, which immediately brings bad memories of that other immature Ramirez that used to play in Boston. Hanley claims that playing on the Marlins brought that out in him, and his time with the Dodgers playing with veterans who knew how to win straightened him out.

The David Ortiz factor not only drew in both Sandoval and Ramirez to Boston, but it will also be crucial in making sure Ramirez keeps his head on straight. He has a tremendous amount of respect for Ortiz, and while Ortiz won’t be here forever, he can certainly teach these new guys the way to go about things in Boston.

The bright side in the Ramirez deal is that he signed off on playing left field. That should alleviate some of the physical rigors of playing shortstop every day, especially in a shorter left like Fenway.

However, this opens up a whole new discussion on what the Red Sox will now do with their surplus of outfielders, making it almost certain that a deal involving one or more is coming. Veterans Yoenis Cespedes, Allen Craig, Daniel Nava, and Shane Victorino, as well as young talents like Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Rusney Castillo are all jockeying for two outfield positions.

What becomes interesting is seeing what Ben Cherington is willing to give up out of this group, with such a strong need for starting pitching. No matter what happens there is one thing is for sure: The Red Sox roster as it’s currently comprised will not look the same come the beginning of the 2015 season.