*Photo from the Boston Herald*
The Boston Red Sox have signed OF Andrew Benintendi to a two year deal, according to the Red Sox. Benintendi's two year deal avoids arbitration with Benintendi. The two sides originally couldn't find middle ground when Benintendi asked for $4.15 million in 2020, while the Red Sox offered only $3.4 million. Benintendi will make $3.6 million in 2020, and $6.6 million in 2021. Benintendi will be arbitration eligible in 2022, his final season of eligibility.
Benintendi was selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2015 draft, and blazed through the minors, making his major league debut in 2016. In 2019, he hit .266 with 13 homers and 68 RBI for the Red Sox in 138 games played. Since debuting, Benintendi is a career .277 hitter with 51 homers and 259 RBI in 4 seasons, 3 of them being full years. His best season came in 2018, when he hit .290 with 16 homers and 87 RBI in 148 games played, as the Red Sox won the world series that year.
Benintendi is also a solid defender as well. He has started in left field for the Red Sox each of the last 3 seasons, and has 32 outfield assists in that span, leading all outfielders. His most memorable play came in game 4 of the 2018 ALCS against the Houston Astros. With the bases loaded and the Red Sox leading by two, Astros 3B Alex Bregman hit a sinking liner towards Benintendi in left. Benintendi dove, extending his glove all the way out, and made the diving catch to end game 4 and give Boston a 3-1 stranglehold on the series. The Red Sox ended up winning the series the following night. With Benintendi avoiding arbitration with the Red Sox, LHP Eduardo Rodriguez is now the only Red Sox scheduled to hit arbitration.
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