The Red Sox lost to the Royals Friday night, 5-3, at a red-hot Kauffman Stadium (97 degrees, to be exact ... the warmest game the park had seen in four years).
It had nothing to do with Andrew Benintendi either being on the Red Sox or on the Royals.
But with the two teams playing -- and the game really being far from memorable -- the topic of Benintendi's existence is going to be at the top of the conversation list. That's just a reality, as is the practice of continuously judging the deal.
Right now, it would seem this is the old "just a solid baseball trade benefitting both sides". Sorry, that's just how it feels right now.
After his horrific start, Franchy Cordero is tearing up Triple-A Worcester and giving the impression he might actually be part of the Red Sox' future after all. (Also, as a quick aside, it does feel as though Cordero might be the type of hitter who benefits from what will be an inevitable spin-rate-downturn from big league pitchers.)
Josh Winckowski has come back down to Earth a bit in Double-A Portland, but still sits with a 3.10 ERA in eight starts.
Players-who-were-finally-named ... Grant Gambrell, Freddy Valdez and Luis De La Rosa? We will reconvene on these guys in two years.
That brings us to Benintendi, who isn't playing due to a rib injury. Injury-aside, he is just what the Royals were hoping for -- a doubles hitter who can be put somewhere in the middle of the order while adeptly patrolling the expanse of the Kauffman outfield.
“I told you guys how I feel about ’19. I do feel he got caught hitting the ball in the air," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora before Friday nights' game. "He got stronger. He didn’t get fat, he wasn’t out of shape, he was actually in great shape. But I do believe he got caught in the hitting the ball in the air and hitting the ball out of the ballpark, and when you do that, sometimes your moves are not the same. I do believe that some of his moves offensively, they got slower and he wasn’t able to catch up with fastballs. If you see him now, you’re like, ‘Wow, he looks like the kid from Arkansas,’ to be honest with you. THat’s a good sign. I think he understands that, he understood that and he put work and I know he’s playing well for them. He’s doing a good job.”
The manager added, “Boston was a good place for him, too. You guys know the Andrew from before the game and after the game. At 7:05, that kid, he wanted to kick your butt. It didn’t matter who was on the mound. Very fiery. Very intense. As you guys know, he’s one of my favorites. I loved the way he went about his business. I loved the way he played in ’18. I know ’19 wasn’t great, but there’s a lot of good thing that he did for us in ’18. Offensively, running the bases, defensively. Obviously, everybody remembers that play in Houston, but I think all around, that’s the player the organization envisioned when they drafted him. Good all-around player. He hit for average, a bunch of doubles, can steal bases, good defender, posts every day, can hit lefties and righties and he was one of the reasons we were so good in ’18, because he posts every day and I think he did amazing things for us. Mookie got hurt a few times, he led off and he carried the offense. I’m very proud of him, very happy for him that he kind of settled down here and hopefully he can continue the things that he’s been doing.”
But, with the images of the 2018 Benintendi surfacing, it is interesting to think about how the outfielder might fit with this Red Sox team.
Clearly, the impetus for dealing Benintendi had in part to Chaim Bloom needing to turn over the roster somewhat before the conclusion of 2022. At that time the Red Sox' list of decisions will be a long one, with Xander Bogaerts and Chris Sale able to opt-out, along with the deals of J.D. Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi coming to an end.
Bloom saw an opportunity to potentially get Cordero in as a cheaper and potentially more productive replacement, while using the under-valued Hunter Renfroe as a a bridge.
Considering where the Red Sox sit in the standings, Renfroe's emergence, and Cordero's recent turnaround, it doesn't seem like the worst idea.
There is, however, that twinge of what might have been.
With the offensive inconsistencies of Enrique Hernandez and Marwin Gonzalez, the notion of Benintendi lengthening this lineup would have been an appetizing one. Would he fixed the leadoff hitter conundrum? No. Could he have slid into the No. 2 spot, allowing Verdugo to be at the top of the order? Well, that wouldn't have been a lock either considering his struggles hitting second for the Royals this season.
Benintendi is simply a good, solid hitter that wouldn't have been asked to do too much on this team. The guess here is that his personality would have also played even with a fresh set of faces surrounding him.
He would have helped. But sometimes these sort of maneuvers -- as occasionally uncomfortable as they might be -- are a necessity. Bloom is reminding of that in a slightly less painful manner than most anticipated.
Still, having Benintendi around for a postseason run isn't a bad thing. Wander over to YouTube for some proof of that.
Oh well. Dare to dream.