Though the New York Yankees don’t have much to complain about, sitting in first place of the American League with a 39-15 record, it’s never too early to start looking at potential trade deadline targets.
One such target that may be of interest to the Yankees? Former Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi.
Benintendi is in the midst of a career year with the Kansas City Royals, batting .321 with a .799 OPS in 52 games. In his 186 games with the Royals over the last two seasons (686 at-bats), he has complied a .289 batting average and a .776 OPS with 19 home runs and 94 RBI along with winning a Gold Glove Award in the process.
So what intrigues the Yankees about Benintendi?
One thing should be his consistency with the bat. Benintendi is a hitter who can spray the ball to all directions. His .321 batting average is almost 30 points higher than the combined batting average (.195) of New York’s corner outfielders Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks. In addition to being a consistent bat at the top of the lineup, Benintendi could likely take advantage of the short porch in right field of Yankee Stadium and improve on his lackluster power.
The potential of a trade makes sense on both sides, as a struggling Kansas City organization could cash in on the successes of Benintendi, while the Yankees could upgrade the one flawed spot in their lineup. As Benintendi heads into unrestricted free agency, the Yankees’ embarrassment of riches in the farm system would likely make them the highest bidder in any potential sweepstakes.
