Yankees Emerge as 'Serious Contenders' to Trade For Andrew Benintendi

Andrew Benintendi going the Yankees isn't as much of a long shot anymore.

Suddenly, the Yankees are back in on Andrew Benintendi.

Even after learning the Royals outfielder is unvaccinated and ineligible to play in Toronto, New York has emerged as "serious contenders" for the left-handed hitter, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Benintendi, a free agent after this season, is hitting .319/.389/.402 across 88 games with Kansas City this year. He specializes against right-handed pitching, batting .338 with an .838 OPS against righties in 2022.

The 28-year-old was an All-Star this season as well, a former Gold Glove Award winner that has plenty of experience in the American League East (and in the postseason) after five years with the Red Sox. 

READ: Trades the Yankees Should Make to Prepare For Postseason Rematch With Astros

There's no question that Benintendi is a good fit with the Yankees. While Aaron Hicks has turned his season around lately and Matt Carpenter has played outfield a bit during his historic surge, New York is still looking to replace Joey Gallo before the trade deadline. Benintendi is the antithesis of Gallo—he rarely strikes out, doesn't swing and miss too often and while he isn't exactly a barrel machine (only three home runs this year), he'll hit for average. That's something Gallo is unable to do.

Benintendi is up to 2.0 fWAR on the season. Gallo has produced 0.3 fWAR in almost as many games played. 

When Kansas City placed Benintendi on the restricted list before their series in Toronto this month, however, it was reported that the Yankees were "unlikely" to pursue Benintendi. New York has one more series on the road against the Blue Jays in September and could face their division rival in the playoffs.

It's one thing for Benintendi to miss three games before the end of the regular season, but for a trade deadline acquisition to sit for postseason games is a major red flag.

Evidently something has changed from the Yankees' vantage point. Perhaps New York is banking on the possibility that the Blue Jays don't make it to the divisional round of the playoffs (they're currently 51-43 after a 28-5 win over the Red Sox on Friday night). Maybe the cost to acquire Benintendi has decreased after the outfielder's vaccination status was disclosed. It was previously reported that Kansas City is seeking "at least one good prospect for Benintendi."

There's always a chance that Benintendi could get the vaccine once he's acquired as well, making him eligible for any games across the border.

It's also possible that the Yankees want to dip into Kansas City's bullpen in a trade for Benintendi. With Michael King out for the rest of the season with an elbow injury, it's imperative that New York addresses their 'pen before next month's deadline. Could the Yankees target a reliever like Scott Barlow, Josh Staumont or Amir Garrett, to name a few?

New York must consider the alternatives as well. Of course, superstar outfielder Juan Soto is available, the best player on the market and one that would require a slew of top prospects. Other outfielders that could be on the Yankees' radar are Chicago's Ian Happ and Arizona's David Peralta.

MORE:

• What Michael King's Season-Ending Injury Means For the Yankees
• Yankees Listed as Trade Deadline Fit For Shohei Ohtani By MLB Insider
• Should Domingo Germán Continue to Get Starts in Yankees' Rotation?

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