We’re all familiar with the “mystery team” as a Hot Stove idiosyncrasy, but how about a “mystery player?” Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston writes that the Red Sox have been discussing a contract extension with a core player, though he adds that it’s “unclear” which player has been the focus of those talks. Drellich notes that there doesn’t appear to be anything currently in the works with Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts or J.D. Martinez and speculatively suggests Andrew Benintendi could be the player in question. The 24-year-old Benintendi has batted .282/.359/.447 with 38 homers and 42 steals through his first 333 games at the MLB level in just over two seasons. He’s logged two years and 62 days of MLB service time, meaning he won’t be eligible for arbitration until next offseason and can be controlled through 2022.
As shown in MLBTR’s Extension Tracker, Mike Trout’s $144MM contract is the record for an outfielder with between two and three years of service, although while Benintendi’s two-plus years with the Red Sox have been strong, he obviously doesn’t have nearly as strong a case as Trout did in 2014. More relevant comparisons likely include Kevin Kiermaier’s six-year, $53.5MM deal with the Rays and the respective five-year contracts inked by Ender Inciarte ($30.525MM) and Odubel Herrera ($30.5MM) with the Braves and Phillies. It’s worth noting, though, that both Kiermaier and Inciarte were Super Two players, and Benintendi will fall shy of that distinction.
Here’s more from the AL East to help kick off the week…
- The Yankees brought Zach Britton back into the fold over the weekend, but MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal indicated on the air this morning that the Yankees are also still talking to free-agent righty Adam Ottavino about a contract (video link). Adding both Britton and Ottavino, a New York native who’s been tied to the Yankees throughout the offseason, would make for a dynamic pairing with incumbent back-end options such as Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green and Dellin Betances, though presumably the addition of Britton at least somewhat lessens New York’s urgency when negotiating with Ottavino.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com provides updates on a pair of injured Orioles: designated hitter Mark Trumbo and left-hander Richard Bleier. Both players are expected to be ready for Opening Day, per new GM Mike Elias, but Trumbo’s case is a little murkier. The veteran slugger underwent surgery to a hole in the cartilage in his right knee — a procedure similar to the operation Dustin Pedroia had in Oct. 2017 — the lingering effects of which limited Pedroia to just three games in 2018. Trumbo has not yet progressed to running but feels that the strength in his knee is “where it needs to be” and adds that he is largely pain-free at this juncture. Bleier, meanwhile, suffered a grade 3 lat tear in his pitching shoulder in June but has progressed to throwing off flat ground without pain. His next step will be pitching off a mound. Kubatko also talked to both players about their early impressions of new skipper Brandon Hyde, which should be of particular interest to O’s fans.
D-Rob > Britton & Ottavino
However, in Cashman we trust, I suppose. Now stop fooling around and sign Machado.
Britton has way more upside than D-Rob
How did this get down voted?
Maybe because it’s just an opinion and not a fact! D-Rob has done it longer and atleast you know what your getting with him. Britton did not look good after returning from injury so who knows what your gonna get from him or even if he can ever get back to 2017 form. To be continued!!
How?
You’re dead wrong. Robertson will start to decline this year. You could see it coming last year.
Agreed! As a Yankee fan that loves Robertson, I was rooting for Britton to sign over Robertson. Britton was already very good despite the long layoff, and I think he’ll be trending upward with more time back on the mound.
Where?
What decline?
This is wrong. Britton is way better than Robertson.
Maybe. Robertson more valuable
If the Phillies sign Machado:
“Andujar is way better than Machado!”
More nonsense
Exactly. Every yankee is a future HOFer… until they’re not a Yankee. Then they’re garbage.
Even I know better than to say that. The numbers don’t lie. I want Machado pretty badly
Now you’re getting it!
I hope you Evil Empire fans get Manny, then you’ll see what a real jerk he is. “The Redsox Remembers”( that is a nod to GOT)
Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez were saints too, as I recall. Point is, plenty of talented stars are jerks but we love to watch them because they’re so good at what they do. There have been a lot of jerks on the Yankees, it goes way back to Babe Ruth. There are jerks on every team, some more than others. The Yankee organization takes this seriously, which is why Hal addressed it multiple times and why the topic came up during Machado’s visit
You are not lying. Just like now D-Rob is garbage and gonna decline….Idiots!!
I wanna know how Pedro Martinez and Ramirez were jerks? Because they didnt play for the Yankees?? Oh that’s why..
Pedro was an intense player and a winner.Ramirez was just dumb as a rock and if not for being good at baseball who knows where he would be. Doesn’t make them jerks though…
You had A-Rod on your team the biggest jerk of all time and a bunch of roid headed cheaters also..
Applause.
I don’t think Robertson is close to those two, if those two are healthy
In Cashman you trust will be your downfall. What has he done for you lately? Traded for a huge contract in Stanton who now is the most expensive DH in MLB history. What has that done? Prevented the Yankees from signing anyone under the age of 32 and overpaying those available over 32. Your Starting 5 is not even top 5 the American League so how can they win the AL East? Boston Tampa, Houston, Cleveland and Oakland all have better pitching. Machado is not the answer. Trading for a top starting PITCHER is the only way to elevate that team. If Cashman signs Machado, he should be fired for incompetence.
Shhhhhh!
You absolutely could…left too many balls up and he paid for it
Dkaner, maybe by building a top flight pipeline of young players. Two of the top three in ROY voting. Staff not top 5 in AL? Please give it up. Stanton was defending NL MVP. You should be fired for stupid posts!
Impressive. Wrong on all accounts.
Drob however clutch — was entering his age-34 season.
Britton was 3 years younger, not to mention, being lefty you could pair with Chapman, made him a better match.
Don’t even get me started on Machado. Harper >Manny. Sign your LF of the future, already have 3B of the future
DRob was not so clutch this year AT ALL. I watched a ton of games and he gave up and extended other teams’ leads often. Guy also had shoulder issues later in the season that had the Yankees stay away from him in the pen so he could get extra rest a few times.
The decline is real….but going to the NL may mask it for a bit longer.
I’ve heard from my sources that it’s E-rod being discussed, not Benintendi.
My sources says it’s Sam Travis.
My sources tell me it’s Wade Boggs
…Don Zimmer……
That Sam Malone guy
Mayday!
Don Zimmer was sure a NYY MVP.. he pretty much helped the yanks to a cpl AL crowns during the 70’s because he was a 100% fool that had -0- clue how to use a BP and blew out the arm of the best reliever in the game over a 2yr span (76-77) in Bill Campbell from both over use and getting up/down multiple times per day.
Use of starters was NO better either.. he’d hold them back multiple days to go against certain teams during the season. That drunkard martin, totally sauced was better than that moron Zimmer.
Big POPI
Big PEDi
Too funny dude
This from a withering mind saturated with PEDs – remind us again of where you got your diploma in ignorance.
My sources say it is not me
Mine are now saying it is in fact you.
My source confirmed it
That’s odd. My sources said it was Josh Beckett. I could be wrong though.
My source is Michael Avanati, who once arranged a meeting between Boggs and Stormy Daniels……
Oh please, Mr my knee hurts. Every year smh
My sources say your source doesn’t exist.
Your sources don’t sound reliable
My horses says it’s Mr. Ed.
Fantastic!!!!
Roid Papi
Those pinstripes look like jail cell bars to me. Appropriate for those who condemn and convict with no evidence whatsoever.
He failed a test in 2003.
I’ll just leave this here too, stars are telling
https://sports.cbslocal.com/2016/05/27/david-ortiz-ped-steroid-red-sox/
Sources say it’s future Hall of Famer Blake Swihart
Nah….they’re waiting to see what Manny and Harper get before they make an offer to Swihart……
They don’t know for sure who DD is talking to for an extension, so why speculate who it is! I am personally fed up with mystery stories as in a gossip rag!
… MLB Trade “Rumors.” I’m equally tired of how NASA is constantly talking about the space program.
mlbtradeRUMORS.com
Yes, and the rumor is that they are discussing an extension, so it’s fair game to speculate. Seriously why so many grumpy guses lately? Jeebus…
It’s Trump’s fault.
Lol
Great domain name.
They also own MLBTR.com, if you don’t want to type the whole name. They truly are the best
Excellent!
Yeah MLBTRADERUMORS! How dare you post about MLB trade rumors!!!!
This is a gossip rag, Maybe you shouldn’t come here if your fed up with it.
Sign Kimbrel 3+1 mutual option for $70M
Benetendi makes the most sense, as DD looks at a 2020 perhaps minus JBJ and JD, and maybe even Mookie (tho I doubt it)……and we all know there aren’t any replacements in the pipeline……an Inciarte-type deal makes sense, tho I suspect it will take more of a KK one……OTOH, TB will likely be in heat to move KK by next year, if they’re not already…..
DD, JBJ, JD, KK, OTOH, TB… Remember, when morse code was easy?
WTF??????
Exactly
Funny stuff, tho do wonder if there even still IS IMCO school taught in the USN all these years later.. I took it.. many decades back as a RM and it was an option then. Same with flagmen, once a necessity. how much use for signal via flags now? Even among some 3rd and 4th rate countries could name off.
An extension makes a ton of sense for the Sox, but I’d be shocked if Benintendi and his agent have any interest in giving up more then 1 year of free agency. If he gives 2, he will hit the market at 30 and it will be much easier for him to get a follow-up 6 or 7+ year deal at 29 then it will be at 30. That year makes a big difference in which teams are willing to get involved. At 30+ for superstars the market is win now teams. Guys still in their 20s teams that are close but not quite there yet can jump in a year or 2 early.
In recent years it seems this has made a big impact on guys markets.
The other interesting signal is here if the Sox do extend Benintendi, that would hint to me that a full rebuild is not in the cards for Dombrowski. This signals to me that they likely plan to try to retain some of their young talent whether that means Bogy or Betts or other players. The Sox aren’t going to lay down even when the Yankees come firing on all cylinders as it seems is imminent and already beginning.
Interesting play.
DD doesn’t rebuild, he tears down. Guy will empty the farm and the bank til the team is old and star-less. Look at Detroit currently.
“Benetendi makes the most sense”
Six years for $105 million with ten million of it in upfront signing bonus.
Wayy too much. Benintendi will get $10 mil roughly in 2020, then at the max I’d say close to $15 mil year 2 and close to $20 in arbitration year 3. A 6/$100 mil contract would value those 2 free agent years in excess of $27-28 mil a season. Far too rich and risky. My arb estimates are over the actual numbers to begin with and he is team controlled in 2019.
That free agent valuation is going to be the problem, but the Sox are taking most of the risk at 6/$100.
5/$70-75 makes sense for both sides.
At that price he should go the Mookie way.
I watched the WS on MLB yesterday, n Benni really was spectacular!
Sox are attempting to retain the rights to Ted Williams head.
…go to bed tonight surrounded by the thought that you made an old man laugh his butt off……
You make the lord nervous
Common everybody knows the red Sox are discussing a contract with Jackie Bradley Jr. ALCS mvp needs to get paid!
It was reported earlier that JBJ was being heavily shopped by the Red Sox.
Not necessarily contradictory
Imo Benny is their best bet to get locked up. He could be the player they build around for their next contention window once this one closes(1-2 years). JD most likely opts out after this season, Xander is not likely to sign an extension this close to FA and someone is gonna throw stupid money at him. Mookie has not been interested in an extension to this point, but maybe the MVP and WS title on the resume and a good chance it at a 300m deal he may bite. I could see Porcello taking a home town deal so to speak. Sale as well as their been reports hes not necessarily trying to set records. But Benny makes the most sense.
I agree It’s not Betts. Betts is already getting paid in arbitration. He made 10.5 this year and is in line for a huge pay raise after the MVP. The Sox might be able to get him on a 12 year $350 mil deal only because he has the arb years left. But Boras wouldn’t let him sign that deal until he sees what he can get for Harper. While it’s completely different as Harper is much younger then Betts and already at free agency but the AAV will be important in discussing an extension. Boras will argue Betts is a better all around player then Harper once the Harper deal is signed.
It’s gotta be Benny or Bogy. I could see Bogaerts signing an extension against Boras wishes. He’s had some humbling moments already with injury and inconsistency. He could take the security also.
Boras isn’t Betts agent as far as I know
The Legacy Agency represents him
My mistake! For some reason I’d thought he switched to Boras. Either way, his agent will pitch the same thing.
His agent can say whatever he wants but the argument “his agent won’t let him sign a contract” is absurd; the players get the final say in what they sign. The agents get to advise but in the end it’s the player’s decision. If Mookie Betts decided to sign for 1 million dollars a year he could do that, although that would obviously be a dumb move.
Players union might step in in a situation like that. No way they’d be happy about it for sure.
Well, they’d have to make an argument that wasn’t just “he is worth more,” right? Like some kind of coercion or diminished capacity or whatever.
If Trevor Bauer does go through with his stated intention to only sign one-year contracts his whole career, thereby betting on himself against injury, it will be interesting to see what the union has to say about that.
Mookie already said outright NO to an extension a few offseasons ago. SO, yeah, with an MVP under his belt he is going to sign one now? Hahahaha silly Sux fans….
The union won’t touch Bauer. If he wants to sign a one year deal to maximize his earnings he can do it. I don’t think that’ll catch on around the league. Most people want security and admittedly I doubt Bauer goes through with it. I honestly think in the best case scenario he’d break even on his earnings if he would’ve just signed the long term deal. The only difference is he puts a whole hell of a lot more risk on himself rather than the team.
You mean Guaranteed Rookie Of the Year, Benintendi?
No — AP “Catch of the Year” , “WS Champ” and “3 time ALE Champ” Benitendi
It really is sad that all Yankee fans have to brag about since 2009 is winning a ROY.
We are extending Sandoval
Screw machado and Harper trade for an ace and that will be enough to win it all cmon Yankees wake the hell up they held onto these prospects that will amount to nothing long enough
Got an ace in mind? Not a whole lot of them out there available and not much left in the farm.. Unless they want to trade Judge or something.
Kluber would seem to be available for the right prospects; he’s maybe not quite the “ace” he was a few years ago but he’s still really good.
Get Jon Gray. He will not cost to much and he can become Kluber and he’s much younger also.
Are farm is stacked I agree trade for Kluber send Florial Frazier and abreu and another pitching prospect. Sign Harper then try to trade for Rockies 3B Arendano or sign him next year when he’s a free agent. Done deal
But what about Trout?!
Cleveland wants MLB ready talent in a Kluber trade. Florial and Abreu are not MLB ready. Frazier, with his concussion issues, is not as valuable as Yankee fans think. I don’t see a match between the Indians and Yankees in a trade for pitching. Also the Yankee farm system is also not as stacked as Yankee fans think.
The NYY fans n MLB hosts, think the Evil Empire has every HOF player with future ones in their farm. I guess wearing pinstripes can do no wrong. Apparently they think they have a lock on greatness. Sure the Redsox have made some bad signing, like Panda, it wasn’t their fault it was Pandas, he didn’t hold up his part. They minor leagues suffer cuz they are competing each yr. so the farm will suffer, trading the future.
What are the chances that Trumbo goes on one of those extended Ellsbury-style DL stints for the rest of his contract?
The Red Sox pretty much have to sign Mookie to an extension. He’s the face of the franchise now. He may not be MVP again but it doesn’t matter as long as he’s consistently above average for a number of years, which seems a sure thing.
Agreed and I would be beyond stunned if they don’t extend Mooks. I won’t complain if he walks of course but still
They would need to stun him with money cuz last I heard Mookie wants to test FA. Baaaaa humbug.