Late on Wednesday, the Cleveland Guardians made a trade with the Cincinnati Reds.
Cleveland is sending young outfielder Will Benson to the Reds in exchange for another outfielder in prospect Justin Boyd.
Cleveland will also be acquiring a player to be named later.
Benson, 24, made his Major League debut in 2022 for the Guardians, hitting just .182 with no home runs and only picking up 10 hits.
With Steven Kwan, Myles Straw, and Oscar Gonzalez patrolling the outfield, the 24-year-old was somewhat blocked in Cleveland.
On Twitter, Guardians MLB.com writer Mandy Bell reported the news of the trade between the two teams and provided all the details.
The Guardians have traded Will Benson to the Reds in exchange for OF Justin Boyd.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) February 8, 2023
Boyd was selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
He had been ranked 16th on MLB Pipeline’s list of the Top 30 prospects in the Reds organization.
Now, he’ll have a fresh start in Cleveland.
As for Benson, he’ll likely have more opportunities with the Reds, a team whose outfield is not completely set in stone with plenty of moving parts.
The young outfielder was a first-round draft pick in 2016 out of Westminster High School in Atlanta.
With this trade, the Guardians have addressed their crowded outfield, which would have made it hard for Benson to receive many opportunities in Cleveland.
Benson was part of the youth movement for the Guardians in 2022 that helped lead the team to a 92-win season and their first American League Central division title since 2018.
But more opportunities could be on the way for the young outfielder as he heads to Cincinnati.
