MLB Rumors: Former Red Sox Star Lands On Trade Block As Deadline Nears

A notable player from recent Boston Red Sox history soon could land on his fifth team in six seasons.

In a piece published Friday, Will Sammon of The Athletic explored the possibility of the Chicago White Sox trading outfielder Andrew Benintendi before the July 31 deadline. Interestingly, Sammon compared Benintendi’s situation to the recent blockbuster trade that sent Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.

“Devers was valuable enough for the Boston Red Sox to insist upon the Giants taking the approximately $255 million remaining on his contract while absorbing only the approximately $32 million remaining on right-hander Jordan Hicks’ deal,” Sammon wrote.

“The Chicago White Sox recognize they are in no position to impose the same conditions on teams that express interest in their two most expensive players, outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Luis Robert Jr. In both cases, according to sources briefed on the team’s plans, the White Sox are open to including cash in trades.

“Benintendi, 31, might be all but impossible to move. He is owed the balance of his $16.5 million salary this season, $16.5 next season and $14.5 million in 2027. No longer a quality defender, he derives almost all of his value from his left-handed bat, which is right around league average.”

Benintendi, the seventh-overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, rose to elite-prospect status with the Red Sox before emerging as a good-if-not-somewhat-disappointing player over five seasons in Boston. He was a key contributor on the 2018 World Series-winning team.

However, Benintendi’s production dipped over the next two campaigns, and he was traded to the Kansas City Royals before the 2021 season. He split the 2022 campaign with the Royals and New York Yankees and signed with the White Sox before the 2023 season.

Benintendi hit .246 with 25 homers and a .684 OPS over his first two seasons in Chicago. The 30-year-old entered play Friday hitting .246 with seven homers and a .753 OPS.