There is no doubt Andrew Benintendi would look good in the Red Sox' lineup right now.
While Benintendi isn't going to be perceived as the kind of middle-of-the-order threat the likes of J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers represent, he would certainly be an upgrade over what the Red Sox are currently delivering in the second tier of their lineup.
After a slow start, Benintendi has emerged as one of a struggling Royals team's most consistent hitters, hitting .349 with an .895 OPS in May.
Juxtapose the KC outfielder against what we are witnessing with the player who partially replaced Benintendi -- Franchy Cordero -- and the Red Sox envy should be very real.
That is the here and the now. And for those yearning for better at the bottom of the Red Sox' batting order, that undoubtedly stings.
But in the long-term, the key the trade might very well not be Cordero, or even Benintendi. And, no, we're not going down the road of propping up one of the three players-to-be-named-later.
Of all the names involved, Josh Winckowski might be the one you should be paying the closest attention.
Winckowski is the 22-year-old pitcher who came from the Mets in the three-way trade involving Benintendi. The Red Sox weren't alone in targeting the tall righty, who had been dealt from Toronto the New York in the Steven Matz trade just a couple of weeks before heading to the Sox.
Wednesday night, Winckowski made his second start in the Red Sox' minor-league system. Pitching for Double-A Portland, he allowed just one run on two hits over six innings, striking out four and walking one.
There is a ways to go before Winckowski can truly defined, with the last week representing his first introduction to level as high as Double-A. As one scout in attendance in Hartford wrote in a text, "Winckowski is an interesting kid. Strong-armed with a feel for his slider. Needs to develop changeup and tighten-up command and control."
In other words, he is a pitcher who has a lot of potential but still has work to do. This we do know: Winckowski should absolutely one player Red Sox fans will want to check back in on.
For more on Winckowski's path to the Red Sox organization, click here.