Why did the Cleveland Guardians trade away Will Benson?

The Cleveland Guardians made the shocking move to trade Will Benson last week, but why?

The Cleveland Guardians moved one of their young outfield prospects last week in a move that many were shocked by. The Guards sent Will Benson to the Cincinnati Reds for outfield prospects Justin Boyd. Benson, 25, debuted for the Guardians in 2022 as part of the massive crop of callups from Columbus, where he struggled to hit.

In 55 at-bats he had just 10 hits and hit just .182 on the season. Benson, who doesn’t traditionally have a lot of power, was seen as one of the young guys who’d have a shot to start in right field, challenging Will Brennan, Oscar Gonzalez, and maybe even Josh Naylor.

While he hit .279 in Tripel A Columbus in 2022, it was clear the Guardians didn’t see him as a starter, at least not a starter over the players they already have. Offensively he had power, not on par with Oscar Gonzalez but more than Steven Kwan or Myles Straw. Yet, he also was among the club’s worst offenders in strikeouts. He did not have a year in the minors where he had more hits than he did strikeouts, and some years he had double if not triple the number of strikeouts to hits.

He didn’t have the power needed to justify that rate of strikeouts, and so he was clearly deemed expandable, though that’s speculation.

Justin Boyd gives the Cleveland Guardians a better fit

Justin Boyd may be better than Will Benson, or he may not. He’s not as big of a power hitter, but he strikes out far less, which is what the club likes. Yet, that’s not the big reason for the trade in my opinion. I believe that Boyd fits the future of the club better than Benson. Benson isn’t going to outpace any of the three starters (Kwan, Straw, and presumably Gonzalez) at any point. He’s not as good of a defender as Kwan and Straw and Gonzalez has better-hitting figures to lean on.

Benson, who’s turning 25 this season, is about four years older than Boyd and is right in the same age range as Straw. Assuming Straw keeps pace or improves his play between now and the end of his contract, that’s about four years. The Guardians have Straw under contract, counting the final two club option years, until 2028 when Starw’s 33. He could be traded away or released even before then, with 2026 being a real possibility.

In four-ish years, Benson will be 29-30 and on the downside of his prime, while Boyd will just be entering it.

So if you’re not sure why the club would choose to go with the younger outfield, it’s really threefold. One, Benson is just too streaky a hitter. Two, Boyd is a better hitter for the offense. Three, Boyd fits better with the timeline of the team.

The Guards thrive on cultivating replacements, and Boyd fits better age-wise with when a guy like Straw may be moving on. So it actually makes perfect sense when you realize, he’s younger, a better offensive fit, and fits the perpetual youth movement the club has.