The Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals and New York Mets have agreed to a three-way deal that will send Fenway outfielder Andrew Benintendi to KC, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan Wednesday night.
Royals outfield prospect Khalil Lee will join the Mets, while Royals outfielder Franchy Cordero will join the Red Sox, with other players also involved, sources told ESPN.
Once part of the Red Sox’s vaunted outfield core, Benintendi missed most of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and ended up on the injured list on August 12 due to a strained right rib cage, with Boston ruling him out for the year later. .
He had only a .103 average with no home runs and one RBI in 52 at bats in 14 games.
A .273 hitter in his career, Benintendi finished second in the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year ballot. He led all Red Sox players with 15 runs scored during their 2018 post-season run, which ended with a World Series championship.
He has one more year left for a two-year $ 10 million deal reached in February 2020 before being eligible for arbitration in 2022 and a free agent in 2023.