The Andrew Benintendi era in Boston came to an end Wednesday night when the Red Sox traded their homegrown outfielder to the Kansas City Royals.
Benintendi was sent to Kansas City in a three-team deal that brought outfielder Franchy Cordero and two players to be named to Boston via the Royals, plus right-hander Josh Winkowski and a player to be named from the New York Mets.
Trade rumors have surrounded Benintendi since the start of the offseason, so the move wasn't necessarily a surprise to the 26-year-old. He shared his reaction to his Red Sox departure on Thursday.
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"Obviously a couple of months ago my name was being thrown around. I tried not to pay too much attention to it because there's only so much I can control," Benintendi told reporters. "I got a call last night from Chaim Bloom and [he] said that 'there's a good chance you're going to get traded tonight so I'll let you know.' Didn't know the team, and then I found out it's the Royals, and I'm extremely excited."
Following a rough 2020 campaign, Benintendi is looking forward to proving the Royals made the right move in trading for him.
"It's nice to feel wanted. And yeah, I think there's a sense of pride for me now. I want to go perform well obviously. I want to go show them that it was worth the trade and I want to go play well for the fans and the organization, so I'm excited."
Boston Red Sox
Benintendi helped the Red Sox to a World Series championship in 2018, most notably making an unforgettable game-saving catch in Game 4 of the ALCS vs. the Houston Astros. While the end of his tenure in Boston was a disappointment, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a bounce-back season out of Benintendi in 2021.