Trading Andrew Benintendi was an admittedly difficult decision for Chaim Bloom, but he believes one of the pieces the Boston Red Sox got in return, Franchy Cordero, could be a Day 1 contributor.
Last week the Red Sox sent Benintendi to the Kansas City Royals in a three-team deal involving the New York Mets. In return, the Sox got Cordero, pitching prospect Josh Winckowski and three players to be named later.
Cordero is a fascinating player. He has appealing power, and his swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park. However, he historically has struggled to both stay healthy and be a consistent contributor.
Bloom, the Sox’s chief baseball officer, believes Boston can get him on track.
“Franchy Cordero is going to be able to step in and contribute right away,” Bloom told NESN’s Tom Caron on Monday during “Red Sox: Back To Work.” “He’s got just tremendous talent. We’ve got to keep him on the field and we’ve got to help him tap into that talent, but it’s all there for him to be an impactful player.”
The Red Sox have quite a bit of versatility in the outfield. Alex Verdugo playing center field seems like the only real lock, and otherwise Cordero, Hunter Renfroe, Marwin Gonzalez, Kiké Hernández and J.D. Martinez all will be options in the corner outfield spots.
