Ranking the Red Sox 5 best moves under Chaim Bloom
By Daniel Fox
Red Sox trade Andrew Benintendi
At first glance, this trade may not seem like a massive win for the Red Sox. Andrew Benintendi has won a Gold Glove for the Royals and is currently hitting .299. Franchy Cordero, meanwhile, has hit just .202 over two years for the Red Sox.
The surface-level stats, however, don’t tell the whole story. Benintendi may have a high batting average, but he’s homered just three times and has an unimpressive .757 OPS. He’s also a free agent at the end of the season, and considering he’s just 27, is likely to command a nine-figure contract that is well beyond his value.
While Cordero doesn’t have the raw average of Benintendi, he’s shown great improvement during his second year in Boston. He’s cut his strikeout rate by 10% and upped his walk rate from 5.9% to 9.9%, and he hits the ball as hard as anyone in the majors.
Then there are the prospects. Three of the four haven’t made much progress, but the fourth looks to be a big hit. Josh Winckowski advanced to Triple-A Pawtucket in his first season in the Red Sox organization and took another step forward this year, posting a 3.38 ERA and a terrific 5.38 K/BB ratio. His performance earned him a promotion to the show, and he’s made the most of it with 3-1 record and a 3.60 ERA over his first four starts.
As unpopular as the Benintendi trade was at the time, it looks now to be the right long-term move. If Cordero’s baseline numbers start matching up with his underlying metrics and Winckowski becomes a regular member of the rotation, this deal will move even more in the Red Sox column.