It Doesn't Sound Like The Benintendi Trade Means Red Sox Will Bring Back Jackie Bradley Jr.
BOSTON (CBS) -- If you think that the Red Sox trading away Andrew Benintendi improves the odds that Boston will bring back Jackie Bradley Jr., Chaim Bloom is pouring a bucket of cold water on that notion.
After sending Benintendi to the Royals in a three-team deal that netted Boston five players on Wednesday night, the Red Sox chief baseball officer said that he remains in talks with Bradley Jr.'s camp, but he didn't sound confident that the slick-fielding outfielder would be back.
"We remain hopeful that we'll be able to find a fit with Jackie, and we also recognize that may not happen," Bloom said during his Zoom call on the Benintendi trade. "We're going to stay engaged there and see how that plays out, but the two were somewhat separate for us as we looked at this, because the fit with [Franchy] Cordero was so clean in terms of how we put our roster together."
Cordero -- a 26-year-old outfielder with a big bat -- was the highlight of the Benintendi trade, and he should be part of the Boston outfield in 2021 and beyond (if he can stay healthy). The Red Sox could still use an outfielder to join Cordero, Alex Verdugo and Hunter Renfroe, but with Bradley Jr. seeking a big deal in free agency, it doesn't sound like he'll be in the mix.
That means the Red Sox will have moved on from the three outfielders that helped the team dance its way to a World Series title in 2018. The Benintendi trade went down on the one-year anniversary of the franchise-altering trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles, and once Bradley Jr. brings his Golden Glove elsewhere, there will be no traces of that loveable outfield trio left.
"I know for our fans, this is not the first time in the last year-plus that they have seen a player that is important to them and important to the organization leave, and I know that's tough," Bloom said Wednesday. "I know that's painful. We're obviously doing what we think is right for the organization."