It is not often a big market team like the Boston Red Sox moves a starting player to a small market team like the Kansas City Royals for financial reasons, but that’s exactly what happened last off-season when Andrew Benintendi was dealt to the Royals in a three-team trade involving the Mets.
The move saved Boston from paying his $6.6 million salary to give them more financial flexibility to address other needs, while the Royals acquired a 26-year old outfielder who had been a 4.8 WAR player as recently as 2018, all while giving up four minor leaguers, none of which were top prospects - outfielders Franchy Cordero, Khalil Lee, and pitchers Grant Gambrell and Luis de la Rosa.