CHICAGO — Andrew Benintendi and the White Sox agreed to a five-year, $75 million deal, Major League sources told MLB.com on Friday. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers was first with the report, with no confirmation coming from the team.
Benintendi has been a White Sox target previously and was taken by Boston seventh overall in the 2015 Draft, which was one pick ahead of Chicago selecting right-handed pitcher Carson Fulmer. The 28-year-old’s deal represents the largest guaranteed contract given out in franchise history, surpassing Yasmani Grandal’s $73 million over four years.
It’s also a deal that makes the White Sox a better overall team entering 2023. They were poor defensively during an underwhelming and disappointing 81-81 showing in ’22, not to mention right-handed dominant throughout their lineup. The left-handed-hitting Benintendi, who won a Gold Glove in ’21, improves the squad in both of those areas.
Eloy Jiménez figures to see most of his time at designated hitter, after making 50 starts in that spot last season. Andrew Vaughn, who was drafted as a first baseman, will move from the outfield to first base with the departure of José Abreu to Houston via free agency. The White Sox simply will be better off with players starting at their natural defensive positions, as mentioned a few times by general manager Rick Hahn during this offseason.
Over stops with the Royals (93 games, 390 plate appearances) and Yankees (33 games, 131 plate appearances), Benintendi slashed .304/.373/.399 with five home runs, 51 RBIs, eight stolen bases and 54 runs scored in 2022. He was an American League All-Star in ’22 and has connections with current White Sox manager Pedro Grifol and Major League field coordinator Mike Tosar, who served as the Royals’ bench coach and special assignment hitting coach, respectively, last season.
The White Sox were not expected to spend a great deal this offseason, with 10 players already on multiyear deals, and Hahn had talked about the trade route being more likely at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas. To date, Chicago has added right-handed starter Mike Clevinger and Benintendi through free agency.
Second base remains an open spot for the White Sox, although they have in-house options via Lenyn Sosa, Romy Gonzalez and Leury Garcia, with Garcia viewed more as a utility component and not an everyday player. Chicago also could add in the catching area, with Grandal’s deal reaching its final year in 2023 and Seby Zavala and Carlos Pérez also in the picture.
.