KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals were working on a three-team trade Wednesday night that would make Andrew Benintendi the successor to Alex Gordon in left field.
Benintendi, 26, would come to Kansas City after having been viewed as a potential cornerstone for the Boston Red Sox. A source with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the Royals were working on a deal to acquire Benintendi on Wednesday night but did not provide details on the Royals players involved.
The trade has not been finalized.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that when completed, the Royals would give up outfielder Franchy Cordero and prospect Khalil Lee, the Royals’ third-round draft pick in 2016. Cordero would go to the Red Sox, while Lee would go to the New York Mets.
The Red Sox would also get a player to be named later from the Royals as part of the deal, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
The Royals acquired Cordero last summer from the San Diego Padres, and he was slated to get the first chance to win the starting left-fielder job in spring training.
Baseball America recently ranked Lee the ninth-best prospect in the Royals’ farm system. The Royals added Lee to their 40-man roster this winter.
Benintendi missed all but 14 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season because of a strained rib cage.
The Royals are almost assuredly viewing last season as an aberration for Benintendi, who struggled offensively and went 4 for 39 with a .103/.314/.218 slash line in those 14 games.
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound, athletic left-handed hitter fits the profile of the type of player Royals general manager Dayton Moore said he’d been hoping to add to the roster this offseason.
A former national college player of the year and first-round draft pick (seventh overall in 2015), Benintendi made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Red Sox and played in 34 games that season.
Baseball America ranked him the top prospect in professional baseball heading into 2017. He became the Red Sox’s starting left fielder in 2017 and hit 20 home runs in his first full season.
He started in left field for the 2018 World Series championship team in an outfield that included Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. Benintendi slashed .290/.366/.465 with 16 home runs, 87 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.
In 485 career games, Benintendi has posted a .273/.353/.435 slash line. In his three full seasons as a starter (2017-19), he averaged 16 homers, 82 RBIs and 17 stolen bases per season.
During that three-year span, Benintendi ranked behind only Gordon for the most defensive runs saved among left fielders (18 to Gordon’s 25).
Gordon retired this offseason after 14 seasons — all with the Royals — and won his franchise-record tying eighth Gold Glove as well as his second Platinum Glove award.
Benintendi has one arbitration-eligible season remaining after this year. He can become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
