Former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval was shocked when he was informed the team chose to non-tender him.

More news: Former Angels Reliever Continues to Have Whirlwind Offseason

Sandoval entered free agency for the first time in his career, and it could not have gone better.

"The amount of teams that were lining up to talk to me, it was a huge confidence boost," he told Mass Live's Chris Cotillo. "Going through this, getting let go, obviously it's not the greatest feeling in the world.

"It brought my spirits up a little bit just hearing all the teams that wanted to come talk to me, then talking to them. Then ultimately, choosing Boston, I was on Cloud Nine. I'm still coming down from it. It's a huge blessing and I couldn't be more grateful to the organization."

Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow gave a promising update regarding Sandoval's recovery timeline.

"We think that, in the second half, he should be able to return. Exactly what that looks like, I don't think it would make a ton of sense to speculate on," Breslow said. "By all accounts, the procedure was straightforward. He's making a ton of progress and we're hopeful that he's going to impact this team in the second half."

Breslow also shared a vote of confidence in the left-hander's arrival to Fenway. He believes Sandoval can help Boston regain a reputation as contenders.

"Having starting pitching depth, and especially quality starting pitching depth that is potentially available in the second half when candidly we've struggled over the last couple of years there, I think it could certainly be a boost," Breslow said. "Being able to pencil him into the rotation next year makes this an even better move for us."

While the Angels felt Sandoval was no longer a crucial part of their rotation, the Red Sox believe he can flourish.

"He's not going to be able to pitch for the first half of the season, but (we) felt like it was an opportunity to bring in a left-handed starter who's got a track record of success and recent success," Breslow said. "We saw some opportunities to help optimize the repertoire and feel like it was a chance to think not just about the short-term but the longer-term as well."