The Red Sox have avoided salary arbitration with Andrew Benintendi for each of the next two seasons.
Boston and the left fielder agreed to a two-year deal on Saturday, one formally announced by the club in an evening email. Benintendi and Eduardo Rodriguez were the only two Red Sox players set to enter the process, and now Benintendi will have one final year of eligibility in 2022.
The Boston Globe reported Benintendi will receive $10 million over the life of the deal. [...]
The Red Sox have avoided salary arbitration with Andrew Benintendi for each of the next two seasons.
Boston and the left fielder agreed to a two-year deal on Saturday, one formally announced by the club in an evening email. Benintendi and Eduardo Rodriguez were the only two Red Sox players set to enter the process, and now Benintendi will have one final year of eligibility in 2022.
The Boston Globe reported Benintendi will receive $10 million over the life of the deal. MLB.com reported Benintendi will take home $3.4 million in 2020 and $6.6 million in 2021.
The 25-year-old Benintendi suffered drops across his slash line in 2019, finishing at .266/.343/.431. His move to the leadoff spot ahead of Mookie Betts was a failed experiment, and Benintendi eventually settled into his familiar No. 2 hole in the lineup. He reached 40 doubles for the second straight season but slipped to just 13 homers and 10 stolen bases.
The contract represents something of a compromise between Benintendi and Boston. The Red Sox proposed a $3.4 million salary for Benintendi in arbitration for 2020, and he countered with $4.15 million. Benintendi will play for Boston’s figure next season and nearly double his money in 2021 regardless of performance.
Benintendi is the lone member of the Red Sox starting outfield under contract beyond this season. Mookie Betts remains in limbo regarding the proposed three-team trade between Boston, the Twins and the Dodgers that would send him to Los Angeles. Jackie Bradley Jr. is playing out his final arbitration season for $11 million.
Benintendi is a member of what shapes up to be a significant free agent class for the Red Sox in 2023. David Price, Nathan Eovaldi and J.D. Martinez – barring a previous option voiding his contract – are scheduled to hit the market. Price, of course, is embroiled in the same trade uncertainty as Betts after apparently being headed to the Dodgers.
Benintendi is part of the homegrown core that helped the Red Sox capture a World Series title in 2018. His diving catch at Minute Maid Park ended Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Astros, giving Boston a stranglehold. Benintendi was the seventh overall pick out of Arkansas in the 2015 draft.
Eduardo Rodriguez is now the last man standing for the Red Sox in terms of arbitration. The left-hander submitted a proposed $8.975 million figure for 2020 while Boston countered with $8.3 million. Boston went 24-8 in games started by Rodriguez in 2019 and just 58-70 behind the rest of its staff.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25