Before the 2021 season, the Boston Red Sox made a trade.
They sent starting outfielder Andrew Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals in February in a deal that also involved the New York Mets.
They obtained outfielder Franchy Cordero and pitcher Josh Winckowski, plus three players to be named later.
If you are a Red Sox fan or if you have seen Cordero hit (or field), you probably don’t need us to tell you that making that deal was a mistake.
Red Sox insider Pete Abraham summed up the horrendous trade in his most recent tweet.
“Andrew Benintendi returns to Fenway Park tonight for the first time since 2020. He’s been worth 4.7 bWAR since being traded. The players the Sox got back in return: minus-0.6,” he said, via Twitter.
Andrew Benintendi returns to Fenway Park tonight for the first time since 2020.
He’s been worth 4.7 bWAR since being traded.
The players the Sox got back in return: minus-0.6.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) August 12, 2022
Benintendi went on to have a very good season for the rebuilding Royals in 2021, with a .766 OPS and 1.8 Wins Above Replacement.
He has been even better in 2022, splitting time with the Royals and his new team: the Red Sox’s arch rival.
Red Sox Fans Will Now Have To Watch Benintendi In Pinstripes
Yes: the New York Yankees acquired Benintendi before the deadline in exchange for prospects.
In 2022, ‘Beni’ has delivered 2.1 WAR.
Winckowski has been serviceable at times, but Cordero has not.
As a result, the Red Sox’s return for that deal has been a net negative; so far at least.
It’s probably one of those transactions that general manager Chaim Bloom would probably want to revert if given the chance.
It happens sometimes.
However, saying that the Benintendi trade didn’t hurt the Red Sox’s long-term outlook would be lying.
If that weren’t enough, Red Sox fans will have to see Benintendi, a player that helped the team win the 2018 World Series, wearing the Yankees uniform.
