The Red Sox won’t gain much in trading Andrew Benintendi
The trade rumors have been heating up in regards to Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi. According to the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier, the Sox have been actively shopping the corner outfielder and could very well strike a deal soon.
Benintendi has certainly not lived up to the expectations he once had after being selected in the first-round out of Arkansas in 2015. His potential when entering the bigs had us thinking that we had a future All-Star in the making.
He has posted an underwhelming career .273 batting average, 53 home runs, and 260 runs batted in, during his five years in Boston. His statistics were deflated after the previous two seasons where he batted just .266 in 2019 and a whopping .103 in 2020. His play has been affected by injuries, as he battled with a rib injury during his miserable 2020 campaign that later would hold him out for the remainder of the year.
Despite two down years in a row is it worth it to trade him?
We all seem to forget about how valuable he once was for the Red Sox lineup, especially during the World Series run. He posted career numbers in 2018 hitting .290 with 16 homers and 87 runs batted in. His bat was a vital part of the team’s success but his athletic abilities in the field are what separates him from the rest.
Now looking into his value, because of his regression the Sox most likely won’t see much in return if they did decide to send him away. He is expected to be owed $6.6 million in 2021 after signing a two-year contract with the team before last season to avoid arbitration. Not too many clubs are likely going to dive deep into their farm systems to trade for a regressing player who is in the final two years of his deal, we are talking a 20-25th ranked prospect at best.
Benintendi is only 26 years old, meaning the Sox should stop and maybe consider letting him ride out his deal and see what he has left in the tank. In the events that he does turn it around the Red Sox would have the opportunity to continue their marriage and once again make him a part of their future. With the Boston outfield only getting younger as we go from season to season, having a veteran voice in the ranks would be beneficial.
Boston is already thin in the outfield with Jackie Bradley Jr. most likely moving on as he’s currently a free agent. Benny’s glove would be extremely missed along and it is not like they have the depth to replace him. If the Sox are in win-now mode why trade Benintendi? If he is healthy you most likely will get flashes of the player we once saw in 2017 and 2018, and it would be key for an already dangerous lineup.
It just seems like the team would be giving up on Bentinedi too easily, and trading him at this point is simply not worth it. Unless Chaim Bloom can finesse a deal and find a way to at least get some value in return, it just wouldn’t be worth it. Benny is in need of a massive rebound in 2021, especially with free agency coming in 2023. For Boston, it may be in their best interest to hold onto the outfielder with hopes of a bounceback to raise his trade stock in the future.