Miami Marlins should buy low on Andrew Benintendi
The Miami Marlins are reportedly in discussion to acquire Boston Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi.
Not surprisingly, it appears that outfielder Andrew Benintendi could be on his way out of Boston in the near future, with a handful of teams having recently expressed interest in trading for the 26-year-old corner outfielder coming off a 2020 season to forget. According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Miami Marlins have been one of those teams.
Currently in the market for a corner outfielder, the Miami Marlins have been connected to both Yasiel Puig and Adam Duvall, but the Marlins seem intent on adding a left-handed hitting corner outfielder to their roster.
The Marlins don’t figure to be players in the top tier market of free agent outfielders, but could end up being players for a bat like Joc Pederson, if the price is right. However, with Andrew Benintendi now being dangled on the trade market, buying low on the bounce-back candidate would not only be a better choice financially to fil their current roster need, but at just 26 years of age, the odds of a return to form for the former Rookie of the Year finalist and World Series champion have to be enticing.
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Whether or not the Red Sox should be dealing Andrew Benintendi is another story, but their desire to move on and sell low could end up being quite the opportunity for another organization.
It’s been a steep decline for Benintendi since hitting .290 with 16 home runs and a 122 wRC+ back in 2018. He was worth 4.4 Wins Above Replacement that season and appeared set to develop into the elite hitter many projected while he was one of the game’s top prospects coming up through Boston’s minor league system.
Benintendi followed up his impressive 2019 campaign by seeing his numbers dip across the board in 2019, including a .266/.343/.431 slash line with 13 home runs, a big uptick in strikeouts (22.8%), and a league-average 100 wRC+ through 138 games.
The bottom would drop out from beneath him in 2020, appearing in just 14 games and hitting .107 with 17 strikeouts in 39 at-bats.
But with the level of prospect pedigree Benintendi had coming out of the draft and his early success in the big leagues, throwing out his 2020 numbers and betting on a reset with a new organization in 2021 isn’t a crazy notion.
Starling Marte has the center field job locked down for the Miami Marlins, but there are major question marks about who fills the corner outfield jobs next season. Some mix of Corey Dickerson, Garrett Cooper, Lewis Brinson, Harold Ramirez and Magneuris Sierra could rotate in and out, but even a slightly-above league-average Andrew Benintendi would provide an upgrade.
It’s being reported that Boston is seeking pitching and/or outfield prospects in return, options the Marlins have in their farm system. It won’t cost the Marlins a Sixto Sanchez or JJ Bleday, and not even a Max Meyer. After the dismal season Benintendi had in 2020, he isn’t bringing back a top-tier free agent from any organization.
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The Miami Marlins should buy low on Andrew Benintendi to fill their corner outfield need in 2021.