The Royals have acquired Red Sox fielder Andrew Benintendi. according to MLB Network Reporter Jon Heyman, pending a physical. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports it will be a three-team affair with the Mets. The 26-year-old Benintendi was a .273 / .353 / .435 hit in parts of five seasons with the Red Sox. The left bat is eligible for free agency after the 2022 season.
update: Passan message Outfielder Franchy Cordero will leave for Boston with outfielder Khalil Lee heading to the Mets.
The Cincinnati native was a first-round pick by the Red Sox from the University of Arkansas in 2015 and has become one of the best prospects in baseball. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year poll in 2017 by hitting .271 / .352 / .424 with 20 home runs and 90 RBI. He has good gaping power and has hit 40+ doubles twice in a season. He was also a patient hitter with a career rate of 10.5 percent. He was a good contact hitter during his first two seasons, but he saw his strike rise to 22.5 percent in 2019.
Benintendi comes in 2020 with a terrible season, which may have dropped him out of favor in Boston. He hit just 4-for-39 in 14 games with 17 shots before a rib injury ended his season prematurely. He will earn $ 6.6 million this year, and the shift in his salary may also have been a concern for the Red Sox, who are trying to maintain wage flexibility.
The Royals then sought to add a left-handed strikefield bat, and Benintendi matched the bill. He has a significant peloton division with much less power against leftists, and he can sit against difficult leftists.
Benintendi was a golden glove finalist in 2018 and 2019, although the statistics rate him as average. Some have noted that his defense has declined recently, and he has also had a decrease in speed this year, with his sprint speed ranging from 28.6 feet per second in 2016 to 26.6 feet / s this year. However, Benintendi has suffered a serious injury and has shown good speed on the base in the past, with more than 20 stolen bases in 2017 and 2018.
The Royals acquired Franchy Cordero last summer in trade with the Padres for the enlightened Tim Hill. The 26-year-old has been sidelined with injuries throughout his career, being limited to just 16 games with the Royals and hitting .211 / .286 / .447. The left-handed hit has amazing power and speed, but he had trouble making contact with a dropout rate of 35 percent.
Khalil Lee was the Royals’ third round in the 2016 draft of the high school in the DC area. The left-handed outfielder hit .264 / .363 / .372 with 8 home games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2019. Lee is a good defender in midfield and was second among all minor players with 53 steals this year. He did not develop much power and he also suffers from a high pass rate. MLB Pipeline considered him to be the leading position in the Royals system.
This trade sends a clear sign that the Royals are serious about fighting for the next two years. If they get Benintendi back to his career numbers before the pandemic shortened season, they will get a player worth 2-4 WAR.