Sox winning trio likely gone
Benintendi all that’s left of World Series outfield
All three of the Red Sox’ 2018 World Series-winning outfielders could be playing elsewhere in 2021.
In 2018, with Andrew Benintendi making diving catches in left field, Mookie Betts making plays at the wall in right field (don’t forget the fan interference call in Houston) and Jackie Bradley Jr. doing everything in center, the Sox had a three-man vacuum that was difficult to penetrate.
“It’s special,” David Price said during the Sox’ title-winning run. “We have three centerfielders in our outfield at all times. The way Benny plays the wall in left at home, and Jackie everywhere, and obviously Mookie what he does in right field. I do believe we have the best outfield, and I don’t think it’s close.”
Said manager Alex Cora: “They feel that they’re the best trio of outfielders in the big leagues.”
They weren’t wrong. After the Sox won the World Series on the backs of Price, Steve Pearce and a tremendous outfield, all three fly-chasers were nominated for Gold Gloves. Bradley and Betts won the awards while Benintendi was a finalist.
This winter, the Red Sox find themselves looking at a new season without two of them, and perhaps without all three.
Betts was traded to the Dodgers, Bradley is now a free agent and Benintendi is on the trade block, according to multiple reports this weekend.
It makes sense: the Red Sox appear to be in rebuilding mode, and Benintendi is two years away from free agency and still hasn’t lived up to his potential. If the Sox can unload him for a package of young pitchers, a la the Marcell Ozuna trade three years ago, it’s hard to imagine chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom turning that down.
It would leave the Sox with an outfield that includes just Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe.
Michael Chavis, Yairo Munoz and Cesar Puello are the only others remaining in the organization who made any starts in the outfield in 2020. All three are utility-types and/ or corner outfielders, which means the Sox will either enter the year with Verdugo in center field, add one via trade/free agency, or quickly turn to
center field prospect Jarren Duran.
Even the forgotten outfielder Rusney Castillo has left the organization. After completing the duration of his $72.5 million deal that kept him in the minors for the better part of the last six years, the 33-year-old signed a $600,000 deal to play in Japan next year.
The idea of Verdugo in center field isn’t as farfetched as one might think. Pull up video from the 2019 season and you’ll find highlights of Verdugo sliding, diving and leaping at the wall to make spectacular catches while throwing out baserunners from all corners of the outfield.
Verdugo played 61 games in center field for the 2019 Dodgers, never making an error. He ended the year ranked 12th out of 30 center fielders in defensive ability by SABR’s de
fensive index, finishing above both Bradley and Mike Trout.
And while Verdugo’s audition for the 2020 Red Sox was largely in the corner outfield spots, he showed enough range and ability to think that he might be able to play center field, at least for a year or two until the Sox find their center fielder of the future.
They seem unlikely to dive into free agency to pursue George Springer, who appears headed to either Toronto or Queens. And while Bloom has spoken highly of Bradley, it’s still hard to fathom a team that doesn’t want to spend being able to sign a Scott Boras client who was never approached about a long-term contract while he was here.
Would the Sox really go into camp with Verdugo as their only center field option? Unlikely.
They’ve been rumored to be in on Kike Hernandez, the versatile second baseman/center fielder who could be an inexpensive option off the bench. There are some center fielders likely available via trade, including the Mets’ Brandon Nimmo, who controls the strike zone as well as anyone in the game, hits left-handed and could be on his way out of town if the Mets land Springer.
But given the Sox’ tendency to prefer younger, cheaper players while they feign competitiveness and continue to play for the future, it’s hard to envision them ponying up for a center fielder. They won’t even consider anything longer than a three-year contract for a starting pitcher, according to a report last week.
That puts Duran in a good position to make his debut in 2021. He showed well in spring training last year, destroyed the ball at the alternate site during the season and reports out of Puerto Rico indicate he’s had a good session of winter ball.
If Bloom continues with the Tampa Bay-style roster-building that he’s used thus far in his tenure, looking for cheap, young players and former prospects who have fallen out of sight to fill the holes, the Sox will find some relatively obscure players to fill gaps in the outfield.
That leaves them with a group that should highlight Verdugo, Renfroe, Duran and Chavis heading into the season.
It’s far from elite. The pitching staff, which was historically bad for most of the 2020 season, are likely to miss the presence of Bradley and Betts more than ever in 2021.