Former Red Sox Bust Now Thriving With Boston’s Top Rival
The New York Yankees are getting the most out of a former Boston Red Sox outfielder who never realized his own potential at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox non-tendered once-prized prospect Franchy Cordero this past November making him a free agent after two failed years in Boston.
After acquiring the lefty slugger from Kansas City in a trade that sent fan-favorite Andrew Benintendi to the Royals, Cordero struggled to ever really get going in Boston. He hit .209 with the Red Sox and cranked only nine home runs in 369 at-bats.
The 28-year-old signed a minor-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles and hit .413 this spring, but didn't make the big-league club. He was then released by Baltimore in late March.
A few days later, the Yankees came calling.
Cordero signed a split contract with the Bronx Bombers that would pay him $1 million in the major leagues and $180,000 in the minor leagues. A respectable deal considering how much he has already bounced around the league in such a short amount of time.
In just his third game with the Yankees, Cordero hit a towering three-run shot in Baltimore. This had to sting a bit for the team that had just given up on him a few weeks prior.
Cordero followed that up with another homer two days later against the Orioles. While this one wasn't as majestic as the first, it still doubled the Yankees' runs for the day and led to another win on the road.
Fast-forward to Tuesday night and, you guessed it, Cordero went deep again. A three-run shot against the Cleveland Guardians extended the Yankees' lead once again.
For those keeping track at home, that is now three home runs for the newly acquired right fielder in New York. Three home runs in just six games. For some context, Cordero didn't hit his third home run in a Red Sox uniform until his 73rd game with Boston.
The power that was always promised by scouts and onlookers in Kansas City has already been on full display in Cordero's short time with the Yanks so far. We'll see if this continues, but for now, it's no fun to watch for Red Sox fans that were hoping for this consistent pop at Fenway Park.
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