Red Sox Trade Andrew Benintendi to the Royals, Ending the Red Sox "Killer B's" Outfield

 

(Matt Stone, Boston Herald)

The three-way trade is done, sources tell ESPN.

Royals get: OF Andrew Benintendi

Mets get: OF Khalil Lee

Red Sox get: OF Franchy Cordero, RHP Josh Winckowski, two PTBNLs from Kansas City, one PTBNL from New York

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 11, 2021

I'm hearing the Red Sox will end up with more than two players in the Benintendi deal. Could be as many as five. As others have reported, the deal isn't completely done yet.

— Chad Jennings (@chadjennings22) February 11, 2021

Brian O’Halloran on the fact that Betts/Benintendi/Bradley are all gone: ‘I wouldn’t have predicted it, but we are where we are.’

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) February 11, 2021

The schedule might change, fans might not be allowed back and the world might end before this, but...

Andrew Benintendi's Royals are scheduled to play at Fenway from June 28 to July 1.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 11, 2021

Chaim Bloom continues to rip off the band-aid and break up the 2018 World Champions. After weeks of potential talk and rumors surrounding Benny, the Red Sox finally found a deal with the Royals and Mets in a three team deal that would inevitably send Andrew Benintendi to Kansas City. The Red Sox will receive Franchy Cordero, Josh Winckowski, and two players to be named later from the Royals and Mets.

This move leaves fans in limbo seeing as many thought a Benintendi, Bradley, Betts outfield would be around for the longterm future. Instead Boston would end up trading Betts and Benintendi almost a year apart to the day from each other while Jackie Bradley Jr. would be the only one to meet free agency after several years patrolling center field at Fenway.

Moving these three players out of Boston is a very non-friendly fan move due to how likable and fun their time in Boston was. Each of the outfielders were and still are for many fan favorites. None of the three were the outspoken leader of the Red Sox, they all led by example showing the rest of the team how much they wanted to win by their actions on the field. Something a city and fanbase like Boston's cannot leave unnoticed.

The outfielders came together for the first time in 2016, after Benintendi was called up from AA Portland. There was an immediate chemistry that bloomed between the three, Bradley and Betts had been neighbors in the outfield for about a year to this point but adding Benny was the final piece to the outfield's puzzle- an everyday left fielder.

The defensive success that came from the three was unimaginable. Mookie Betts is a perennial gold glove candidate, Jackie Bradley is a human highlight reel, and Andrew Benintendi the shaggy haired young-buck who shagged balls off the monster better than anyone since Manny Ramirez. The three were so good that in 2018 all were finalists for the gold glove award at their respected position, but only Betts and Bradley would walk away winners. 

Meanwhile that same year all three were cornerstones in bringing another world championship to Boston after winning 108 games in the regular season and going 11-3 throughout their playoff run. Winning 119 total games would solidify the 2018 Red Sox as the best team in franchise history. This followed a stretch of two straight AL East titles accompanied by a first round exit in the American League Division Series.

(Jim Davis, Boston Globe)

As far as many are concerned, Andrew Benintendi is still a great young player to have in the organization. Coming out of college at Arkansas he was the Golden Spikes Award winner in 2015 and in his first full season in the league he was the runner up Rookie of the Year to Aaron Judge. In his career Benny is a .273 hitter with a .789 OPS and has potential to hit 20+ home runs a year. Not to mention he has one of the prettiest swings in baseball, it feels safe to say Benny still has a chance to etch out a respectable career for himself in the league.

This now leaves the Red Sox outfield looking at a potential Cordero, Verdugo, Renfroe outfield. It's actually really funny to think that Alex Verdugo is the longest tenured outfielder of the three but he will serve as one of the biggest pieces of the team going into the season after a strong first season in Boston.

Just to ease the pain, here are three of the best catches from the Killer B outfield's time in Boston.

Andrew Benintendi

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Mookie Betts

--- Dombito