The Red Sox will soon decide on the three players they’re still owed as players to be named later from February’s three-team Andrew Benintendi swap, per a pair of reports from Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link) and Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Worthy suggests that the Royals, who owe the Red Sox two players, could have some resolution within the next week or two. Meanwhile, Cotillo indicates that the player the Mets will send to Boston is expected to be the best of the three PTBNLs and must be settled upon by this coming Friday.
Technically, the teams involved all have until August to settle the deal, as PTBNLs come with six-month windows. It seems as though the matter will be resolved well before to that point, however.
It’s fairly common for teams to take some of that six-month allotment to evaluate the farm system of a trade partner. Oftentimes, the team receiving the PTBNLs agrees to a list of players from which they select, and those players can be tracked and evaluated over the coming months. That aspect was likely of particular importance for the Red Sox this time around, given last year’s lack of a minor league season.
The original trade sent Benintendi to Kansas City and outfield prospect Khalil Lee to New York, while the Red Sox received outfielder Franchy Cordero (from the Royals) and minor league righty Josh Winckowski (from the Mets). Cordero’s early struggles prompted the Red Sox to option him to Triple-A Worcester last week, which resulted in a fair bit of criticism of the trade from the Red Sox’ vantage point. Of course, Cordero is but one of five pieces who’ll join the Sox organization as a result of the deal, and judging any trade before the identities of all involved players are even known is rather short-sighted.
Benintendi, 26, got out to a miserable start in Kansas City, batting just .180/.254/.230 through the season’s first three weeks. He’s been on a tear in the five weeks since that time, however, raking at a .345/.395/.466 in 129 plate appearances. Cordero, meanwhile, mustered only a .179/.228/.274 slash in 102 plate appearances. He’s 5-for-12 with a couple homers since being optioned. The 22-year-old Lee went 1-for-18 with the Mets in his first taste of MLB action after being recalled out of necessity due to the team’s rash of injuries. He was recently optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse, where he’ll be in line for everyday at-bats.
The Royals control Benintendi through the 2022 season. The Red Sox control Cordero through at least 2023. Lee had yet to make his MLB debut when the Mets acquired him and has multiple minor league options remaining, so he could be a piece of their outfield puzzle for upwards of a decade, depending on his development and the frequency with which he’s optioned.
I hoped know bloom will choose wisely
And to think, the ChiSox wanted Benny instead of Moncada in the Sale trade … but Dombrowski refused to trade Benny.
Might not have won it all in 2018 without Benny, but I sure would like to have Moncada back right now.
Not fair to say and it was also ChiSox wanted Devers as the key piece in the deal and Dombrowski rightly refused. Imagine Chisox right now would love to have him over anyone of the nice players they got in the deal.
Agreed JS. DD gets criticism for gutting the minors to win it all but how many who got away have become true stars? I’d trade a Moncada type for a Sale type at their then ages every time.
What is not fair to say? That DD should have held onto Moncada instead of Benny? Jury is still out, but it’s very fair to say most if not all teams right now would rather have Moncada instead of Benny.
I never said it was a bad trade, I said it would have been a better trade for Boston if they sent Benny instead of Moncada.
Are people still beating around the bush regarding Cordero? He is not a major league player.
Little known fact: David Ortiz was the PTBNL when the Mariners traded for Dave Hollins.
I think it will be jeison Guzman Austin lynch and Nick pratto
not getting Pratto lol
If Moore allowed Pratto to be an option, that was a bad decision. Can’t see it. Maybe Guzman, though. I’m thinking Brady McConnell might be a choice.
Keep dreaming!
Lol keep dreaming
I can’t imagine any of the PTBN are anything that special if the Mets player is expected to be the best. One, the Mets system is not exactly loaded, and two, how much could the Mets have agreed to give up for Lee?
Royal PTBNLs shouldn’t be in the organization’s top 20 if the PTBNL from the Mets is considered to be the best of the three. Pratto is somewhere around #10 in most rankings. The Sawx can have Guzman though.
Are these prospects heading to Boston or the Mets
Boston.
I felt the earth Trimble when I read that headline
Ok so who is available
unless they got some serious value that trade was a bust. way to sell low, idiots.
Standings. I’m pretty certain Chaim Bloom knows more about building a roster than some dude on the Internet. Why do some fans feel the need to assess a trade immediately? They are always made with other moves in mind.
the Red Sox doing well doesnt mean it was a good trade, and im not saying Bloom is a bad GM in general. this specific move was bad though, unless these are some seriously good PTBN (which never happens)
Just getting rid of Benintendi was a plus, a divestiture right up there with Price and not nearly as costly; he was never going to produce for the Sox again, the quintessential “change of scenery” candidate. So the Royals have 2 years of control over him, hardly a gift. Meanwhile, Winckowski by himself is going to be worth this trade with 6 years of control once he reaches the majors. As for the 3 that are on their way, they don’t have to be great to make a contribution in the minors, and they might develop beyond that. Frankly, this was a Bloom masterstroke.
Never happens are strong words David Ortiz was once a player to be named later so was Brantley so don’t say never .
Cey Hey:
I agree. How good this trade is/was for either team won’t be decided for a while.
No one knows how well most prospects will pan out. There are literally dozens of AS players that were never a top 100 prospect.
An interesting story about PTBNLs, concerns the trade that sent ARod to the NYYs. The Yankees gave Texas a short list of prospects to choose from, and Texas chose Joaquin Arias, instead of Robinson Cano.
i mean, any of us judging trades are doing some speculating, its just in my mind, i feel BOS already made a mistake not getting Lee over the NYM pitcher/PTBN, and instead of getting perhaps a better prospect chose a bum and multiple, presumably inferior prospects. Benintendi is hardly some bum, and to sell out on possible lottery tickets for him would be a poor decision. given the quantity, I cant reasonably expect quality.
Plus prospects, even top ones, are only crapshoots just like any team entering the playoffs as you’ve noted. Plus Bloom achieved what he set out to accomplish by unloading AB.
if the goal was to unload the asset rather then getting value for it than that’s madness. that implies the team would have suffered for having him, which is hardly true.
DarkSide8307 hours ago
unless they got some serious value that trade was a bust. way to sell low, idiots.
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His fWAR is 0.3, for $6.6M. Please explain how we sold low? If KC puts him on the market today, they won’t get nearly as much as the RS did.
well quite frankly I dont know what frangraphs is on if they think Benintendi is all of a .3 WAR player so far.
bWAR has him at 0.7 and 1 WAR is the equivalent of $8 million so I’m not really sure what your point was here. He’s on pace for 2.4 WAR.
I hated to see the Mets trade off , as part of the overall dealing, Josh Winckowski; he is doing well in the minors. Lee is another Keon Broxton who will pile up the strikeouts with no power or even average. His 1-18 is par for the course.
I was hoping the Mets would get Chaim Bloom; he knows baseball.
While it is in the past now, Jeff Wilpon couldn’t handle someone like Chaim Bloom, who knows what he was doing and would tell Jeff Wilpon to let those who actually know talent to make the personnel decisions! What aggravates me, about the BVW pick over Bloom, is that it is believed the Wilpons(well Fred and Brother in-law Saul Katz) KNEW they were going to sell and still let that buffoon Jeff make the trade decisions..
Sup folks
Khalil Lee is going to require A LOT of offensive coaching if he’s ever going to be seriously considered for a 25-man roster spot. The kid has power but lacks plate discipline and a good understanding for pitch selection.