Red Sox: Would you rather trade Yoan Moncada or Andrew Benintendi?
By Tyler Mason
In any potential trade for an elite starting pitcher, would the Boston Red Sox rather give up Yoan Moncada or Andrew Benintendi?
The trade deadline is on its way folks. Boston Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski has a history of doing trades for big name players.
When he was the GM for the Detroit Tigers, he had quite the résumé being able to trade for stars. Whether it was getting Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins in 2007, Max Scherzer from the Diamondbacks in 2009, or David Price from the Rays in 2014, he has the ability to take a team in the hunt for the postseason to sudden favorites to win it all.
No matter what anyone says or predicts, all we can do is wait and see what “Dealin’ Dave” has in store for Red Sox Nation.
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One question people wonder is if Dombrowski will be trading top prospects, Yoan Moncada or Andrew Benintendi, if they get a big name pitcher like Chris Sale or Jose Fernandez. But who would you rather give up if there was a deal like that?
My choice is Benintendi.
Last night, Benintendi and Moncada faced each other when the World Team faced Team USA in the annual MLB Futures Game. In the 8th inning, Moncada hit an absolute missile out of the ballpark, taking the lead for good as the World Team won it with a final of 11-3. Moncada finished 2-for-5 with 2 RBI’s, 1 run scored, and 2 strikeouts while Benintendi went 0-for-3 with 1 strikeout.
Now it’s tough for people to compare 2 players based on a performance in one game, but with Moncada also winning the games MVP, it was tough to keep your eyes off him.
Moncada and Benintendi are soaring through the Red Sox farm system and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. But I choose Benintendi to be traded simply because Moncada has the look to be in the Major League right now.
Currently playing for the Portland Sea Dogs, Moncada has a slash of .312/.415/.532 with 9 home runs and 40 stolen bases split between two minor league levels this season, whereas Benintendi still has a respectable slash of .288/.347/.497 and 6 home runs.
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People can say that if Benintendi stays with Boston, he will eventually be the future 3rd outfielder for the Sox joining Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. But if he is dealt in less than a month, you could say that Moncada could be moved to the outfield.
Think about it, in 2013, Betts had never played outfield in his life. He was always a middle infielder until they slowly transformed him into the starting All-Star outfielder he is today. If Betts can do it, there is no doubt in my mind that Moncada can as well, but they would have to start the process now.
Moncada also has the confidence of a big leaguer, saying to Boston Globe writer Alex Speier that he is a “five tool player” and that all of his tools are “advanced”.
In this article, Speier also spoke with Benintendi and it seemed that he and Moncada had opposite personalities.
"“I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m not a fan of all the attention and the media, stuff like that, but I understand it’s part of it and I have to do it,” said Benintendi. “I come from a pretty humble family and I try to be a humble guy.”"
Always good to hear from a young ball player, but it seems like he would get eaten alive from the Boston media whenever he has a slump. We’ve seen it before with many players.
People, including myself I must admit, fall in love with prospects years before they make it to the majors. It’s tough to tell how players that were drafted last year, like Benintendi, will play at this level. You never know, he could be the next Mike Trout, or Lars Anderson. Anderson was once a heavily known prospect for the Sox and then quickly became a nobody. Now, he is a minor league travel man hoping to one day make a name for himself.
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Moncada and Benintendi seem to have a lot of potential to be great ball players. But if the Sox want to go after a big name pitcher, you need give a little to receive a player like that.