The Reds are adding to their outfield, announcing the acquisition of Will Benson from the Guardians. Cleveland receives outfield prospect Justin Boyd and a player to be named later in the deal. In order to clear a spot on their 40-man roster, Cincinnati designated infielder Alejo López for assignment.
Benson was the 14th overall pick in the 2016 draft out of a Georgia high school. Listed at 6’5″ and 230 pounds, the lefty-hitting outfielder drew praise from prospect evaluators for his massive raw power and exceptionally patient plate approach. That was always paired with questions about his propensity to swing and miss, as his size has led to concerns about the length of his swing path and bat control. That combination of huge physical upside with a number of strikeouts has been on display for the bulk of his minor league career.
He moved slowly up the ranks, not reaching Double-A until the 2021 season. That was in part attributable to the cancelation of the minor league schedule the year before but also reflected the three-plus years he spent at various A-ball levels. He topped 20 home runs in both 2018 and ’19 while drawing nearly as many walks as anyone in the affiliated ranks but consistently struck out at a rate approaching or exceeding 30%. That remained the case in his first Double-A action, though he hit 14 homers with an 18.1% walk rate to earn a brief Triple-A look late in the ’21 season.
Benson struggled in his first 27 Triple-A games, leading the Guardians to leave him unprotected in that offseason’s Rule 5 draft. The draft never transpired because of the lockout and he returned to their top affiliate in Columbus last year. The 24-year-old put together arguably his most impressive minor league showing, hitting .278/.426/.522 with 17 home runs through 401 plate appearances. He walked at his customarily excellent 18.7% rate and stole 16 bases in 20 attempts. Most encouragingly, he cut his strikeout rate to a league average 22.7% clip.
As a result, the Guardians selected him for his major league debut last August. He got into 28 games, hitting .182/.250/.200 with three walks and 19 strikeouts over his first 61 plate appearances. It wasn’t a strong start to his MLB career, though Benson’s Triple-A production clearly elevated his stock relative to where it had been at the opening of the season.
Benson has experience at all three outfield positions throughout his professional career. He’s long been considered best suited for right field given his size and above-average arm strength, though he’s a deceptively good athlete who’s at least capable of covering center field in a pinch.
The Reds will roll the dice on his upside, betting on him to sustain some of the contact gains he made while continuing to demonstrate excellent plate discipline and tapping into his power. He still has all three minor league option years remaining, meaning the Reds can freely move him between Cincinnati and Triple-A Louisville for the foreseeable future. Benson has just 66 days of major league service time under his belt. He won’t reach arbitration until after the 2025 season at the earliest and is under club control through at least the ’28 campaign. Future optional assignments to the minor leagues can push that timeline back further.
Cincinnati doesn’t have much certainty in their short-term outfield mix. Jake Fraley had a solid 2022 campaign and seems the favorite for left field work. Nick Senzel is penciled in as the starting center fielder, though he might be delayed in Spring Training as he recovers from offseason toe surgery. Senzel has struggled enough over the past few seasons his hold on the center field job probably isn’t very strong. There’d seem to be an open battle for reps in right field, with TJ Friedl, Stuart Fairchild, Michael Siani, Nick Solak and perhaps offseason signees Wil Myers and Chad Pinder — both of whom can play other positions — in the mix. Benson steps into that group and could vie for at-bats in Spring Training.
The Guardians have a number of controllable outfield options who looked to be ahead of Benson on the depth chart. The presumptive regular outfield consists of Steven Kwan in left, Myles Straw in center and Oscar Gonzalez in right. While there are some questions about Straw’s offense and Gonzalez’s extremely aggressive plate approach, Cleveland also has Will Brennan on hand as a potential replacement. Top prospect George Valera isn’t far off big league readiness himself.
Considering that depth, the Guardians have now twice subtracted a promising young player from further down the depth chart for a prospect. Cleveland dealt Nolan Jones to the Rockies in November. The Benson trade is a similar move, this time also clearing a 40-man spot while bringing back a player who’s further from major league readiness.
Boyd, 22 next month, was selected with the 73rd overall pick coming out of Oregon State last summer. A right-handed hitting outfielder, he raked at a .373/.490/.577 clip during his final season in Corvallis. Boyd struggled over 21 Low-A games to close out the year but was an excellent college performer.
Baseball America placed him 133rd on their board before the draft, praising his athleticism and collegiate performance but raising questions about his power upside. He’ll likely start next season in either Low-A or High-A for Cleveland and won’t need to be added to the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft until after the 2025 campaign.
To accommodate the one-for-one swap, the Reds also had to clear a 40-man roster spot. That comes at the expense of López, who has been an up-and-down infielder since June 2021. The 26-year-old has played in 75 big league contests, hitting .262/.307/.321 across 179 trips to the plate. He’s shown plus contact skills, only striking out 14.5% of the time. That hasn’t come with many walks or extra-base impact, though, as evidenced by his modest OBP and lone home run. It was a similar story in Louisville, where he hit .256/.330/.363 with three homers and an 11.5% strikeout percentage through 46 games last year.
López has primarily played second and third base but gotten brief looks in the outfield as well. He’ll be traded or placed on waivers in the next week. López has never been outrighted and doesn’t have the requisite service time to elect free agency if he clears waivers, so the Reds could keep him at Louisville as infield depth if he goes unclaimed.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
FenwayFanatic
cool
kiddhoff
Wow
Jon M
Woah
jdgoat
Wham
Burgeezy
Bam
FenwayFanatic
Pow
Orichalcon
Thank you, Ma’am
raulp
Ufff!
fre5hwind
I liked Alejo, hope he stays.
Buff Barnacles
A slugger for a speedster! Should work out for both teams chemistries.
norcalguardiansfan
Guardians opening up a roster spot. Interesting.
64' Yanks
Hopefully Aaron Hicks fills that sport!
CKinSTL
Bryan Shaw signing is coming soon..
mostlytoasty
He didn’t look so great in his cup of coffee, but Benson could be a really intriguing player. Glad he’s on a team where he’s got a better shot to get land an OF role. Guardians OF was getting crowded and there’s more guys coming up too.
Dude had 75 BBs in 89 games in AAA with only 91 Ks. Chips in equal parts HRs and SBs. I doubt he puts up a .950 OPS like he did in the minors last year, but if he can even translate some of that over to the bigs he could be a very solid regular.
lucas0622
Benson definitely has the tools to be at least a big league part timer, but he’s really struggled at putting it all together. Wishing the best for him, a grade A human being. I’ll always remember his 4 homer performance from a couple years back
miggywrld
Good trade for the Reds. Benson looks like an absolute monster with so much untapped potential of raw power and speed.
Mauired
Agreed. Reminds me of Cleveland giving up on a very young talented but struggling player named Brandon Phillips who will be in the Reds Hall of Fame. Possibly the best second baseman in franchise history besides Joe Morgan.
This one belongs to the Reds
Hope you are right but I don’t see it right now. He doesn’t make contact from the low BA and strikes out too much. They have enough of those guys.
I don’t see it worth sacrificing Lopez for. There’s a guy who made contact. Would have dropped some others before him.
Again, they needed MAJOR LEAGUE talent in the outfield.
Mauired
Dropping Alejo is a headscratcher with Gibaut, Farmer, and Cruz as middle relief pitchers with much less value. Alejo could delvelop into a solid bench piece or more. Hopefully he slips through waivers and they keep him.
Bobcastelliniscat
Johnny Temple and Lonnie Frey say hello
This one belongs to the Reds
And the Reds will trot out Chris Sabo and his daughter and say “wasn’t 1990 great?”
I say that was 33 years ago and there was a better owner. What have you done since then to entertain your fans?
case
Based on each organization’s track record, I’m guessing the Guardians get the better of this one. Did a good job overhyping Mahle though, shipping some of the return out for what feels like a bit of a long shot on Benson may be worth it.
Armaments216
Alejo Lopez would be a great pickup for any number of teams. He hasn’t really had the opportunities to establish himself with the Reds.
miggywrld
Agreed. Hope the tigers take the opportunity to claim him and DFA Zack Short.
Datashark
Benson numbers are basically raw power, but Boyd looks to be possibly better in time his numbers look good and was close to melton’s too at Oregon.
Tattdcountryboy
Why do this trade? Benson is 25, literally has never hit. He struck out 35% in the Majors and since he was drafted in 2016 he has 36% K rate. He’s just an athletic big power guy who can’t hit the ball, a more athletic left handed Aquino! Boyd who did nothing at his first assignment in A ball was essentially a 2nd rounder last year who didn’t hit well and was given up on after 22 games and 74 at bats. Like WTF? Don’t try to develop your 2nd Rounder and trade for a guy who has proven for 7 years that he can’t hit!
Buzz Killington
You seem bamboozled but I just see the Reds being the Reds. They like these stupid trades that dispose of their talent for future wavier wire darlings.
Mauired
Benson is 24 and just dominated the last stop before MLB Less than 3 years older than Boyd who couldn’t crack .200 in his first shot at A ball. Benson also has monster tools compared to Boyd not really having any. Boyd seems like another slap hitting CF prospect where the Reds have a stockpile like Fridle,Fraley,Siani already. I agree he does strikeout too much but he improved last year and reportedly works hard so let’s see what happens. This makes the Reds outfield this season way more interesting.
Windowpane
Hope he makes it with the Reds. Odds are long and the 3-outcome guys are going to become unicorns soon.
Buzz Killington
Guardians won that deal. Benson is nothing more than a depth piece on most teams. Boyd has lots of promise.
CATS44
Benson has all the tools, but the one that counts.
He can’t hit a baseball with any regularity.
He is another in a long list of former highly thought of power prospects that the Guardians have been disposing of, being replaced by contact oriented hitters. In an about face that began about six years ago, Cleveland has been favoring skills over tools.
Zimmer
Chang
Bradley
Daniel Johnson
Nolan Jones
Benson
Col_chestbridge
A couple years ago, there was some Twitter debate about “if you could take one prospect, and increase one skill to league average, who would it be?”. Will Benson was a popular answer. Because he has all the other tools. Elite speed. Great power. Excellent defense, cannon for an arm. Decent eye. Just can’t make contact. But unfortunately that’s the most important tool.
Dr G
At first blush this trade says to me two things: 1. Senzel is not progressing and will be out several months, and 2. Siani is not ready for prime time of 40 or more games as Senzels understudy. JMO though.
This one belongs to the Reds
If they were freaking out on Senzel’s injury then why not just bring Naquin back? He’s a free agent and would not cost a second round pick last year.
I agree this looks like an overreaction to something they should have had contingencies in place for last season knowing Senzel’s injury history.
Mauired
Senzel being Senzel probably with miss the first month or so. I think they should shift him back to 3rd anyway. They have no starter there. He can’t stay healthy in the outfield. And it was the position he played in college when he was the second pick in the draft. Not sure why Bell says he is the guy in CF still.
GarryHarris
Could be nothing for both teams
stymeedone
@buzz
Yeah, but Benson isn’t going to most teams. He’s going to a team that may actually give him an opportunity. Way to early to declare a winner, or a loser.
DarkSide830
Strange to trade for a guy like Benson just to DFA Lopez of all people.
Samuel
Cleveland has too many LH hitting OF’s – plus George Valera may well be up in 2023.
So they traded a young one for a RH hitting OF prospect that wouldn’t be up for at least a few years….if he works out.
Windowpane
Buyer beware when trading with the Guardians.
HBan22
A.J. Preller agrees.
Tiger22matt
Let’s hope he pulls a Brandon Phillips and figures it out. Otherwise this is just a cheap lottery ticket. I do like the fact he’s under 30 meaning he has a chance to develop.
Michael Chaney
Benson has the tools to be a pretty solid player if he can maintain a lower strikeout rate. He got a lot of Jason Heyward comps when he was drafted and he’s a pretty similar player overall. The Guardians just didn’t really seem committed to giving him regular at bats so hopefully he does well with a bigger opportunity.
It makes sense for the Guardians too because they needed flexibility on the 40-man roster and it makes sense to move him for a different player they like that doesn’t need protected for a few years. My only issue is that moving him and Jones clears out some upper level depth so they’re gambling on Oscar being able to repeat last year or Brennan/Valera easily replacing him. But it makes sense to move them now while they have value if you’re not sold on them long term.
(One small correction, though: when the Guardians traded Jones to the Rockies, they got back Juan Brito and put him on the 40-man roster so they didn’t really clear a roster spot.)
Elwood
Reds hoping to find another Adam Dunn ?
This one belongs to the Reds
Please.
Windowpane
More like Bradley Zimmer.
CKinSTL
When Benson was drafted, he was often compared to Jason Heyward. Fun fact: at the time, that was not considered an insult.
Col_chestbridge
You’re forgetting one guy in that equation and that’s Richie Palacios. Given the makeup of their roster, he seems a lock to start next hear as a bench piece (along with Arias and Brennan). So between all the chatter about Naylor seeing time in the OF, Brennan, Palacios, and Valera, it seems they have options in case Oscar Gonzalez can’t repeat that.
It is telling to me that they have traded away or cut almost all of their low contact guys in the last year- Bradley, Zimmer, Jones, now Benson. They have decided to really double down on the contact approach. Which makes me really think Jhonkensy Noel might not be long for them either.
Samuel
Kwan, Brennan, Palacios, Valera and now Naylor – Straw hits RH and he’s a Gold Glove in CF so he’ll be out there a lot. That leaves 5 LH OF bats for pretty much 2 OF positions (Naylor can play some 1B but Bell is there as well); then again Gonzalez (RH) may be the best hitting OF they have.
Francona will be changing the lineup each day – including during the games – although Kwan seems to be a lock to start at least 135 games if he’s healthy.
Last year the Guardians had one of the worst hitting stats against LH pitchers in MLB. Bell will help that some. But the best guy hitting them was Amad Rosario, and rumors are they he might be mid-season trade bait.
Under both Shapiro and Antonetti that team has gone overly LH hitting at times due to the high wall in Left Field. It’s hurt them in the past.
Michael Chaney
I admittedly do forget about Palacios when it comes to their outfield depth, but I think he’s closer to the end of the 40-man roster than he is to breaking camp with the team. It’s through no fault of his own and more so just because of the depth in their system. I like him and I think the bat can play, but he probably isn’t an infielder anymore so if he’s just playing the outfield then I don’t think he has an edge in versatility anymore. If they keep going all in on the contact approach though, I think he’s got a chance to stick because he’s a better pure hitter than those other guys.
Which is exactly why I agree with you on Noel. I love the power and I think he’s a better hitter than people give him credit for, but based on what they’ve done in the past I think think he ends up getting the Jesus Aguilar treatment. He can be a good player, but it might be somewhere else. There’s a lot of risk with him but there aren’t many guys out there with the raw and game power that he has so I hope he gets a shot.
CATS44
Noel has had contact issues, but he has three things going for him…he hits right handed, and he got to AAA at age 20. He also doesn’t have a RH bat blocking him, except for Bell…who can opt out after this year, which is a slam dunk with a good season. Aguilar was looking up at Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion.
This past season he had 59 XBHs (32HR) in 550 PAs over three levels. Aguilar didn’t get to AAA until he was 24, and never had numbers like that.
Col_chestbridge
To be clear I like Noel a lot, especially since he can play 3B, RF, and LF as well as 1B. He could compliment their roster quite well in a platoon role. But I also know their track record with guys like him.
As far as Palacios… if there’s 3 bench guys… who else would be your third guy after Brennan and Arias? Tyler Freeman is a top 100 prospect and using him a utility guy seems not ideal. They don’t have Ernie Clement or Owen Miller anymore. Everyone else on the 40 has zero MLB experience.
CATS44
I think everybody is assuming that Arias is ahead of Freeman in the pecking order for a util spot, but Freeman has been a better bat at every level. Freeman also fits the contact oriented profile that Cleveland has shifted to, while Arias does not.
Arias was also a top 100 prospect, too.
If I had to guess right now, the three bench spots will be….
Brennan as the 4th OF.
Freeman as the util INF.
Arias as the jack of all trades.
With Rocchio and Tena already in AAA, there isn’t a lot of room to move either Freeman or Arias back down.
The Guardians have an interesting situation, and a (good) problem. Their top five MIFs….Rosario, Gimenez, Freeman, Arias, and Rocchio….all are/were top 100s, plus Angel Martinez may join them this year…and he is already in AA.
Col_chestbridge
Arias isn’t a top 100 guy anymore. And they’ve already had him play 1B, which they’ll need because there will be days Naylor and Bell are both in the lineup and one is DHing, so they need someone on the roster who can cover 1B. They’ve also reportedly had him work some in the OF. That seems to point to him being the clear bench guy.
To me it’s between Freeman and Palacios and Freeman is the one who could use more time at AAA.
I guess Roman Quinn is also an option.
CATS44
With Rocchio and Tena manning the middle of the AAA infield, there is not much PT for Freeman in Columbus.
Palacios is limited to one position…left field. Not much room for a LH left fielder in Cleveland.
Arias has played 11 games at first and 7 in LF in his pro career. While he may be transitioning to those positions, Freeman could do that in spring training, too.
I agree that Arias looks like the first candidate for an all around util position, I’m just saying that its not a slam dunk. Freeman has been the better player thru their respective careers.
Arias has to prove he can hit a baseball with some degree of regularity…which the ones before him…Chang, Zimmer, Bradley, Jones, and Benson could not do.
One other thing to consider…
The util player only plays intermittently, and Freemans compact contact swing is more conducive to success in that role than Arias’.
As stated earlier, the Guardians have more upper level infielders in Cleveland and Columbus than there are at bats for. Its a good organizational problem to have, but its not so good for some of the players involved.
Jones and Benson really benefitted from being traded…because there was no room for either in Cleveland. One of the present MIFs would benefit from a trade, too…because two of them are gonna be squeezed out of PT in Cleveland.
debubba
Rooting for the guy. Hope he finds a home and success in Cincinnati.
User 589131137
I’d have preferred to see Benson get one more opportunity in Cleveland with regular at bats…
Samuel
californiatribesman;
Other than Kwan, they don’t have regular AB’s to give to any OF’s.
StudWinfield
Ceiling: good joey Gallo
Floor: bad joey Gallo
ClevelandSpidersFromMars
Benson has gotta be happy. Going to a team where a hot spring can have him starting on opening day. No way that was happening in Cleveland.
Tattdcountryboy
Why are all you fans gushing over power potential when besides a few bats in AAA last year Benson has never hit the ball worth a damn? The Reds play half their games in a launch pad and don’t need that kind of power! How did Aquino work out? Boyd did really well at Oregon State, only had 70ish at bats in A ball and had a 50 grade hit tool compared to Benson’s 30. So either the Reds are admitting they suck at scouting and drafting or they think their crappy hitting coaches can fix Benson’s swing! But it’s very problematic to trade a 2nd round player with 70 at bats and who knows who the PTBN will be, as well as DFA López to get Benson who would have probably been DFA by the Guardians.
jcraft21
It’s a trade of potential Lopez makes contact, but the ball is hit very weekly. I watched it for three years. Enjoy.
Tattdcountryboy
? And López wasn’t traded for Benson , he was DFAd. Boyd our 2nd round pick from last year and a PTBN were traded for a guy who hasn’t figured it out in 7 seasons. Boyd got 70ish at bats, talk about a waste.
jcraft21
It’s a potential deal for the Reds. Lopez makes contact but hits the ball weekly. You can have him.
CATS44
The last Guardians young contact hitter from Oregon State who hit the ball weakly was Steven Kwan.
Armaments216
If you’re the last man on the bench and you’re going days between plate appearances, then hitting the ball weekly isn’t so bad. Especially if you’re hitting it hard.
octavian8
George Foster didn’t take off until approximately the age Benson is now so who knows. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Tattdcountryboy
Not Happening! He is not George Foster and the Reds don’t have hitting coaches that could fix anyone’s swing! If anything prospects regress under their tutelage.
ksoze
Lol, trolling I see
Tattdcountryboy
Trolling what! I’ve been a Reds fan all my life. How is commuting on a dumb trade trolling? I bet you thought Aquino was the next Superstar with all his power and inability to hit!
octavian8
We didn’t know George Foster was George Foster until he became George Foster was my point. If the Giants could’ve see the future as you seem to I’m guessing that would not have happened. I was just hoping it turns out the same way.
DarkSide830
15 pro games and already 3 orgs. Dayum.
Cincyfan85
Doesn’t feel like an overpay at all… lol
Buzz Killington
Why was this posted again??? Super confused.