More than two weeks after agreeing to a franchise record $75 million contract with free agent outfielder Andrew Benintendi, the White Sox made the deal official Tuesday.
Under terms of the deal, Benintendi, 28, will receive a $3-million signing bonus, $8 million in 2023, $16.5 million each season from 2024-26 and $14.5 million in 2027.
A good contact hitter who figures to benefit from Guaranteed Rate Field’s dimensions, Benintendi fills needs as a left-handed hitter and good defender.
“Andrew fits many of the things we were looking for this off-season in terms of balancing out our lineup and adding a different type of hitter and obviously a dynamic player who’s earned accolades not just for his offense but for his defense as well and we think makes us a better, well-rounded ballclub both offensively and defensively,” general manager Rick Hahn said.
Benintendi, 28, hit .304/.373/.399 between the Royals and Yankees in 2022. The Yankees acquired the former Gold Glove left fielder at the trade deadline.
The previous Sox record for a free agent contract was catcher Yasmani Grandal’s $73 million in a four-year deal that expires after the 2023 season.
Benintendi will be introduced at a press conference Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. The deal was first reported Dec. 16.
The Sox figure to open the season with an outfield of Benintendi in left, Luis Robert in center and Cuban prospect Oscar Colas in right. The $11 million committed to Benintendi in 2023 leaves the Sox a few million under their expected budget, although filling second base with rookies Romy Gonzalez or Lenyn Sosa with veteran Leury Garcia as a backup remains a good possibility.
“We’re always going to look to get better,” said Hahn, who signed free agent starting pitcher Mike Clevinger in November. “It’s a cliché but I suppose a cliché for a reason, that you’re never satisfied with what your roster is and we certainly know there’s ways we can improve, both from a position player standpoint as well as from a pitching depth standpoint. So we’re going to continue to look. What happens over the course of the next six weeks leading into camp and then the six, seven weeks we’re in camp is impossible to predict. But certainly the way we perceive ourselves is not as a finished product at this time.”
Benintendi will wear uniform No. 23. The Sox 40-man roster increases to 39.
