Trading Andrew Benintendi should be no Red Sox obstacle

Trading Andrew Benintendi should not impede the possibility of acquiring Chris Sale.

If Andrew Benintendi’s departure is absolutely necessary to acquire Chris Sale the Red Sox would be certifiably insane not to do it. I certainly take a different path than BSI’s Brandon Nickel on this and probably a good portion of Red Sox Nation that feeds off the wondrous tales of pablum that is churned out regarding prospects and this prospect in particular.

I have no doubt that Benintendi has a future at the highest professional level and my own – never to be trusted – projection is that Benintendi becomes this generation Mike Greenwell or maybe even an Alex Gordon? But never one to ignore the other possibility, the fact is that Benintendi may just stall and never advance to the levels that are predicted for this future Hall of Fame entrant. That is the circumstances of risk. The real issue is Sale. And a rubber arm is far more important than a wooden bat.

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Sale is one of the very best at what he does and you never, ever pass on the opportunity to get an ace. Sometimes it may be a short-term like Josh Beckett or mid-range like Curt Schilling or longer term like Pedro Martinez – each opportunity had its own set of circumstances. But each provided a pitching anchor.

The current team is in a free-fall moment and it can be simplified by one single word – pitching. You win with pitching. The Red Sox need it and generally always need it. Bats? Hitting? Runs? Somehow, even in the bleakest of years, they seem to have it. Pitching, however, is that mist that seems to vanish as the season progresses and 2016 is not different from most years of frustration.

Of course, every reasonable person knows that Sale is some type of loose cannon whose only goal in life is disruption of that baseball status quo. Who cares? The red Sox have an illustrious history of star players who had behavior patterns that set them aside. Ted Williams, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez, Pedro and on and on. They exist in a different baseball universe than the normal hoi polloi and have a different set of standards – a quirky Carl Everett or a non-entity such as Israel Alcantara will be quickly disposed of for not displaying expected behaviors – the stars dance to a different drummer.

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Players are assets and have value and in the instance of Sale, the value is extremely high as noted by the various rumors circulating about his possible departure from Chicago. There is a reason for that and it is – to emphasize once again – Sale is one of the very best at his occupation.

With Sale, there is that unique individual who brings a level of contentment to his manager and an equal level of trepidation to the opposition. Amazing the number of players that will get a “day off” when Sale is on the mound. This also has a ripple impact as the bullpen denizens realize it may be a nice day to catch a few winks or work on their tans. Sale – like premier pitchers – have a tendency to go deep into games.

The roadblock to any exchange of players is the negotiation process and Dave Dombrowski is rather adept at that and rather fearless. I am certain the Chicago’s resident meat inspector – Rick Hahn – knows a bit about the trade partner dance. Hahn also has his wish list for every organization and what he is willing to accept as his bottom line. A mini version of the GM meetings that resemble a Marrakesh market is the current Sale situation.

Just who would the Red Sox have to attach to the trade in addition to Benintendi? By his lonesome, the lad is not in the rarefied territory of Sale so Boston would have to take some more baseball Lego’s and add it to the package. Those Lego’s could certainly put me into the “No Deal” category.

Sale may or may not arrive in Boston this season or the next, but if Sale or someone of similar talent – and that is an extremely short list – you take every step possible to get them in your uniform. Chicago would – in my opinion – be foolish to trade Sale, but if they do I hope it is to Boston