Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi has been involved in numerous trade rumors over the past couple of days and it seems like his time in Boston will be reaching its climax very soon.
A rival executive familiar with the Red Sox thinking told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that he would be “shocked” if Andrew Benintendi wasn’t traded before the end of the weekend. The 26-year-old outfielder had an awful 2020 campaign finishing 4/39 (.103) with 17 strikeouts before a rib injury on August 11th ended his season. Benintendi had his best season during the Red Sox 2018 championship run. He hit .290/.366/.465 with 16 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He was a major factor in the Red Sox eventual championship win; he had one of the greatest postseason catches in recent memory robbing Alex Bregman of a potential walkoff hit in game 4 of the ALCS.
The Astros, Athletics, and Rangers have all been in contact with the Red Sox regarding Benintendi according to Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal. WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford says another American League team is in the mix as well, though that team’s identity is unknown at the moment. The Pittsburgh Pirates have also been rumored to have interest in the Boston Left Fielder. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported at least one team has “discussed trading big league depth for Benintendi”, which would fill a hole on this Boston roster.
Benintendi is owed $6.6 million in 2021 and will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player in 2022. The question the Red Sox and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom have to ask themselves, “Is it worth it to trade a player who was such a key piece to a world series title a little over 2 years ago?” If Boston receives an offer they simply can’t refuse then I don’t believe it would be too tough of a decision especially with how low his trade value is currently. With the Red Sox trading their best player in Mookie Betts in February 2020 and Jackie Bradley Jr. being a free agent, shipping away Benintendi would mean that the last remaining leg of the starting outfield from the 2018 World Series championship season would no longer be a part of the Boston Red Sox organization.
