Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox Agree to 2-Year Contract Worth Reported $10M
Andrew Benintendi and the Boston Red Sox won't be heading to arbitration after all.
The two sides agreed to a two-year, $10 million extension, the Red Sox announced on Saturday. According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand Benintendi will earn $3.4 million in 2020 and another $6.6 million in 2021.
The two sides weren't too far apart at the arbitration deadline with the outfielder asking for $4.15 million and the Red Sox offering $3.4 million.
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Benintendi slashed .266/.343/.431 last season with 68 RBI, 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases.
It's a significant raise for Benintendi after earning just $717,500 last season.
The urgency to get the deal done isn't all that surprising, either. As Boston works to complete an increasingly complicated trade of Mookie Betts, the Red Sox made sure they locked in their left fielder for the next two seasons.
Also noteworthy is the fact Boston did not buy out all of Benintendi's remaining arbitration years. The 25-year-old will still be eligible for arbitration one final time after the 2021 season. That could seemingly benefit both sides here.
The Red Sox are undergoing a revamping period as they move on from Betts and attempt to remain under the luxury tax threshold. It's tough to forecast what the Red Sox outfield will look like by the end of the 2020 season let alone two years from now. Benintendi has the potential to blossom into a star during that time and cash in during arbitration again.
The homegrown prospect was close to breaking out in 2018 when he slashed .290/.366/.465 with 16 homers and a 3.87 Wins Above Replacement. Unfortunately, regression caught up to the former first round pick. He finished 2019 with a WAR of 1.37. Two more years playing like what he showed in 2018 would put him in a prime position to cash in.
In many ways, Benintendi is betting on himself. The Red Sox are wagering too, hoping in two years they won't have to be back in the same situation, selling off a key cog to avoid the luxury tax penalty.
