The Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets have agreed an exchange that will send Fenway gardener Andrew Benintendi to KC, the Boston Boston ninth confirmed Wednesday.
Royals prospect Khalil Lee will go to the Mets, while gardener Franchy Be will go to the Red Sox.
He #RedSox today has changed OF Andrew Benintendi and cash in KC Royals, in exchange for OF Franchy Cordero and 2 players being named later.
In addition, the Red Sox received minor league RHP Josh Winckowski and a player who would later be named by the New York Mets.
– Red Sox (@RedSox) February 11, 2021
Right-back Josh Winckowski and a player who will be named later will move from the Mets to the Red Sox.
Benintendi, who was once part of the Red Sox’s acclaimed core of the gardens, missed most of the 2020 season shortened by the pandemic, moving to the injured list on Aug. 12 due to a distension in the right rib cage. Boston then ruled it out for the year.
He had just an average of 103 homers and a run driven in 52 appearances on the plate in 14 games.
Benintendi is a 273 hitter in his career and finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year poll in 2017. He led all Red Sox players with 15 runs scored during his 2018 postseason career which ended with a World Series championship.
He has one year left on a two-year, $ 10 million deal reached in February 2020 before he is eligible for arbitration in 2022 and free agent in 2023.
Lee, meanwhile, was selected by the Royals in the third round in 2016 and was named All-Star Baseball America’s rookie. He reached Double A in 2018 and 2019, and played in the Puerto Rico Winter League for the past two years. He has an average of 256 in the minor leagues with 37 homers and 192 RBIs in 1,719 appearances on the plate.
Be was limited to just 16 games in 2020 due to injury, hitting 211 with two homers and seven RBIs in 38 appearances on the plate.