According to ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan, the White Sox are once again listening to trade offers for outfielder Andrew Benintendi. It’s unclear if the former All-Star has drawn any sort of attention or if the team is simply making him available.
“While the White Sox haven’t completely been stripped for parts, they’re on their way, with Crochet primed to be moved, outfielder Andrew Benintendi available via trade and center fielder Luis Robert Jr. destined to go at some point, too. Even if they improve from their 121-loss season, the roster the White Sox are bound to field in 2025 will be a reasonable facsimile of a minor league team in a big league stadium.”
This isn’t the first time Benintendi’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors this year. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale previously reported in June that the White Sox were “openly shopping” their left fielder ahead of the deadline. If they were to trade Benintendi on his own, then the team would undoubtedly have to eat a large portion of his remaining salary or swap him for another club’s unfavorable contract. Neither scenario amounts to much value for the Sox, which led to an alternative coming to light for better or worse.
After the trade deadline passed, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal revealed that the White Sox listened to offers for Garrett Crochet “in which they would have received lesser [prospect] packages but gained salary relief.” In these particular discussions, an unnamed team proposed taking on all or most of Benintendi’s remaining contract. Whether the White Sox seriously entertained this idea is unknown, though it still would not have resulted in much benefit. Crochet is far and away the team’s best trade asset and flipping the left-hander for prospects is the clear solution to maximizing his value and bringing talent back into the organization.
Benintendi, 30, originally signed a five-year, $75 million deal with the White Sox in December 2022 to make him the highest guaranteed free agent contract in team history. It seemed as though the club had landed their left fielder of the future, especially with Benintendi coming off his first All-Star season split between the Royals and Yankees. Fast forward two years and like many things in the organization, the deal has not panned out as expected.
In his first season on the South Side, Benintendi’s numbers dropped significantly from 2022. He hit just .262/.326/.356 for a 87 wRC+ and -0.3 fWAR over 621 plate appearances. While many hoped it was just an aberration, another slow start for Benintendi gave him the lowest fWAR among qualified players in baseball during the early portion of 2024. He did manage to pick things up a bit to finish the season hitting .229/.289/.396 with 20 homers and 64 RBI. It was good enough to match his -0.3 fWAR from the season prior while still leaving the White Sox to contemplate his future.
ANDREW BENINTENDI WALK-OFF NUKE 🚀
— Sox On 35th (@SoxOn35th) April 28, 2024
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Looking at his back-loaded contract, Benintendi is still owed $47.5 million over the next three seasons in Chicago. More specifically, it comes out to $16.5 million in both 2025 and 2026 before dropping slightly to $14.5 million in 2027. It’s a hefty amount to pay and one deal the organization would like to get off their books moving forward.
Though all signs point to Benintendi being immovable, we will continue to monitor the situation as rumors circulate throughout the offseason. Follow us on social media @SoxOn35th for more White Sox news and updates.
Featured Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
