Boston Red Sox: What the future holds for Andrew Benintendi
What do the Boston Red Sox do with Andrew Benintendi in 2020 and beyond? Moving him during the offseason could help bring Boston under the luxury tax.
The Boston Red Sox drafted Andrew Benintendi with the seventh overall pick of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. Benintendi shot up through the farm system and saw limited playing time in Boston just a year later but made enough of a positive impression to make the team the following season.
In 97 games spanning A & AA, Benintendi slashed .312/9/76/16, a spectacular look at what bright things were to come for the future youngster.
Only one player drafted prior to Benintendi has made any noise at the Major League Level. Tendi was looking like a future core player to go alongside the likes of Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. The team has shifted in the post-David Ortiz Era and now the leader which appeared to once be Betts has now become Bogaerts and Rafael Devers with JBJ playing a support role.
We all thought that Benintendi could have been the longed-for star left fielder after Manny Ramirez was traded in 2008.
Andrew Benintendi – Then and Now
What has happened since he joined Boston in 2016? The last three years have seen a steady regression in output. Have there been any other outlying issues that have helped in his numbers falling? In his first full season with Ortiz, there was some expectation that Benintendi could live up to the hype and he did just that slashing .271/20/90/20 in 151 games. Joining the 20/20 club at the age of 22 doesn’t hurt your cred and adding a 2nd place finish in the Rookie of the Year Award only built up his status as one of the best up and comers in all of baseball.
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The following year brought less success as his numbers slipped. His second full-year numbers saw his batting average rise slightly to .290 but managed only 16 home runs to go along with 87 runs knocked in with 21 stolen bases in 148 games played. The plus side was seeing Tendi hit 41 doubles. In 2019, Benintendi slashed .266/13/68/10 in 138 games and managed 40 doubles in consecutive seasons.
In 2018, the Red Sox saw three players get 100+ runs. Tendi notched 103 runs for the first time in his career that season. Benintendi was only able to score 72 runs in 2019 in 10 fewer games played.
The 2019 boys from Bean Town were able to blow away almost every team offensively. Boston ranked 1st in hits, at-bats, and doubles. They were 3rd in batting average and on-base percentage and ranked 4th in runs scored. Ipso facto, this offense was spectacular. We can only wonder what more this team could have done had Tendi also had a big year.
Which brings us to our big question. Is Benintendi worth moving in the midst of a shakeup?
Andrew Benintendi’s Future in Boston
There is no question that Benintendi could have a great illustrious career in Boston. With his talent not matching the expectation, it leaves a major question looming for the new Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom. Moving Benintendi could make a big difference for some teams but wouldn’t make the most sense for Boston as his value isn’t as high after a subpar season. Lest we forget, the Red Sox won’t have to worry about him hitting Free Agency until after the 2022 season.
Why is that important? There are three major contracts coming off the books in Boston. The Sox will no longer be responsible for paying David Price, J.D. Martinez (unless he opts out after this season), and Nathan Eovaldi, who has been nothing short of a nightmare contract. Trading Tendi to offset some of the damage over the next three seasons could benefit Boston as a way to get under the Collective Bargaining Tax for 2020 and beyond. Moving Price would be the top contract to go as he’s receiving $32 million in each of the next three seasons.
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Essentially moving Price and not having to continue paying that contract would eliminate $96 million off of Boston’s books not counting what Tendi would be making in each of the next three seasons until he hits unrestricted Free Agency in 2023. Getting Boston under the luxury tax has to be Bloom’s top objective and packaging Bentinendi with Price this offseason may just be the way to do it. Winter Meetings are just three weeks away.