Piece by piece, the lethargic teardown of the 2018 World Series champion Red Sox proceeds.
Precisely a year subsequent to exchanging Mookie Betts to the Dodgers, the Red Sox sent another fan top choice, Andrew Benintendi, to the Royals on Wednesday night as a component of a three-group trade that likewise incorporated the Mets. The mainstream and gifted outfield that drove them to a ring is currently everything except gone.
And keeping in mind that the cash they saved by unloading Benintendi could hypothetically be accustomed to bring back focus defender Jackie Bradley Jr., it doesn’t seem like the Red Sox are anticipating it, further denoting the finish of a time in Boston.
“I know for our fans, this is not the first time in the last year-plus that they have seen a player that is important to them and important to the organization leave,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters Wednesday night, referring to Betts and Benintendi. “I know that’s tough. I know that’s painful. We’re obviously doing what we think is right for the organization.
“[But] we felt we were able to address a number of needs. It puts us on good enough footing going forward that it was worth swallowing hard and taking that painful step of trading a player who’s really important to us and very talented.”
The Red Sox got back toolsy 26-year-old outfielder Franchy Cordero, who has 12 grand slams and 110 strikeouts in 315 significant alliance plate appearances with the Royals and Padres, and pitching prospect Josh Winckowski from the Mets. They are additionally set to persuade two players to be named later from Kansas City and one from New York.
Benintendi, the previous No. 1 possibility in baseball, seemed as though a star really taking shape on the Red Sox’s street to the World Series. In 2018 he hit .290 with 16 homers, 21 takes and an .830 OPS. However, he chilled in 2019, hitting .266 with a .774 OPS before a severe 2020, in which he went 4-for-39 (.103) in 14 games prior to being closed down with a rib confine strain.
While Benintendi and Betts are authoritatively gone, Bloom said the Red Sox were “confident” they could discover an arrangement with Bradley, yet “we additionally perceive that may not occur.” as of now developed, the Red Sox’s 2021 outfield would have a place with Cordero, Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe.
Passing up Bradley would likewise mean a full spotless house from the outfield that presented to them a title in 2018.
“I wouldn’t have predicted it,” general manager Brian O’Halloran told reporters. “But we are where we are and as we’ve gone along, as Chaim has talked about both following the Mookie Betts trade and again here tonight, we try to make moves that we think make sense for the club in our big-picture goals while we try to . . . compete for a championship every year.”
