Red Sox deal Benintendi to Royals
Boston’s championship outfield from 2018 season are now all gone
All three members of the last Boston Red Sox championship outfield are gone.
One year to the day after Boston traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a blockbuster, another of his former teammates is on the move. Andrew Benintendi was sent to the Kansas City Royals late Wednesday night as part of a three-team deal that also involves the New York Mets.
MLB.com and ESPN reported the Red Sox sent Benintendi and cash considerations to Kansas City. Boston received outfielder Franchy Cordero from the Royals, minor-league right-hander Josh Winckowski from New York, two players to be named from Kansas City and a player to be named from the Mets. Outfield prospect Khalil Lee is headed from the Royals to New York.
The Red Sox officially announced the deal about an hour before midnight Wednesday.
“I know for our fans this is not the first time in the last yearplus they have seen a player who’s important to them and important to the organization leave,” Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said. “I know that’s tough. I know it’s painful. We’re obviously doing what we think is right for the organization, but that’s worth acknowledging.”
Betts signed a long-term extension with L.A. prior to winning his second title in 2020. Jackie Bradley Jr. is a free agent and has yet to be signed ahead of spring training. Now Benintendi is off to the American League Central and leaves behind an uncertain future in the Red Sox outfield.
Benintendi was the seventh overall selection out of Arkansas in the ’15 draft. He debuted in August ’16 and showed flashes of brilliance over the next five seasons with Boston. His ’20 finale was one to forget — 14 games, one extra-base hit, 17 strikeouts and a right rib cage injury that forced him to be shut down.
“He didn’t get out of the gate very well over those couple of weeks and then unfortunately had the injury, and it really just ended his season,” Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran said. “From that standpoint that was a struggle, but overall I think we saw — for most of the time Andrew was here — a terrific player who contributed greatly to a winning team.”
Benintendi collected 20 home runs and 20 steals during his full-season debut in 2017. He was even better the following year — 16 home runs, 21 stolen bases, a career-high 41 doubles and an .830 OPS for a team that rolled through both the regular season and October. Benintendi made the clinching diving catch in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against Houston and helped Boston finish off the Dodgers in just five games.
“For Andrew and everything he did here — to win a world championship here and to leave a champion — there’s a lot to be proud of and a lot for us to be thankful for,” Bloom said.
Benintendi’s failed stint in the leadoff spot ahead of Betts helped spoil his 2019. He closed with just a .774 OPS, and his struggles against left-handed pitching continued to be magnified. Benintendi carries just a .691 career OPS against southpaws compared to an .821 OPS against right-handers.
Cordero was an international signing from the Dominican Republic in 2011 and debuted with the Padres six years later. He showed significant power and speed in the minor leagues with San Diego, belting a combined 35 triples in ’16 and ’17. Cordero closed with a .972 OPS in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League in 2017.
“We are optimistic about how his talent will play when he does get out there and optimistic and hopeful that we can keep him out there for a lot longer than he has been historically,” Bloom said. “We feel there’s untapped upside there that he’s shown at certain points.”
Injuries derailed the 26-yearold Cordero’s path to regular time in the big leagues, and he was dealt to Kansas City in July 2020. Cordero has been sidelined with a groin strain, right forearm strain, bone spurs in his right elbow — which required surgery — and a broken hamate bone in his right hand. He appeared in just nine games for the Padres in ’19 and 16 for the Royals in ’20.
Winckowski is on the move for the second time in less than two weeks. He was part of a four-player deal in late January that saw left-hander Steven Matz go from the Mets to the Toronto Blue Jays. The 22year-old has started in all but four of his 54 professional appearances and has not appeared above Class A.
“This is the type of guy, there are a lot of different ways his career could go,” Bloom said. “He’s not a finished product yet but he has a really good chance to impact the major-league staff in some capacity.”
Betts was moved to the Dodgers along with left-hander David Price and $48 million for outfielder Alex Verdugo and prospects Jeter Downs and Connor Wong. Verdugo was one of the few highlights on a bad Red Sox team last season, as Boston finished last in the AL East for the fourth time since 2012. Downs and Wong both worked at the alternate site in Pawtucket as members of the 60-man player pool.
Cordero has three years of team control remaining and doesn’t reach free agency until the ’24 season. He’s signed to a one-year deal worth $800,000 for the upcoming campaign. Winckowski’s arbitration clock has yet to start.
Benintendi is due $6.6 million in ’21, and MLB.com reported Boston will cover $2.8 million of his salary. He’s arbitrationeligible for the final time in ’22, hits free agency in ’23 and carries additional value due to the final year of club control.