The Yankees and Royals engaged in a trade that, on its surface, appears to favor the Yanks as they gear for a playoff run.
New York on Wednesday landed outfielder Andrew Benintendi — a Gold Glove winner in left field in 2021 and a first-time All-Star in 2022 — in exchange for three pitching prospects: right-handers Chandler Champlain and Beck Way and left-hander T.J. Sikkema.
The trade was first reported by Jack Curry of YES Network and later announced by both teams.
The trade will beef up the Yankees' roster for October, while the Royals will look to infuse promising young talent into a pitching staff that in 2022 has been among the worst in MLB.
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Here is everything you need to know about the trade:
Andrew Benintendi trade details
- Yankees get: OF Andrew Benintendi
- Royals get: Minor league RHPs Chandler Champlain and Beck Way and minor league LHP T.J. Sikkema
As announced by the Yankees and Royals, New York receives Benintendi in exchange for three pitching prospects. Sikkema — a Competitive Balance round pick of the Yankees in 2019 — was ranked 19th among the club's top 30 prospects, per MLB Pipeline, while Way was ranked 21st. Champlain was not ranked.
Andrew Benintendi contract details
Benintendi is essentially a rental for the Yankees, as he can become a free agent following the 2022 season. He signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Royals ahead of the season. The Yankees will pay the remainder of his deal.
| 2022 | 2023 | |
| Andrew Benintendi | $8.5 million | FA |
What do the Yankees get in Andrew Benintendi?
The Yankees' short-term investment in Benintendi is their first deadline move toward building as strong a potential playoff roster as possible. New York is 66-33 through Wednesday and 11 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Blue Jays in the AL East.
New York's move serves two purposes: It shores up the outfield offense outside of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, and it adds a legitimate defender in the outfield with Stanton out for as long as two to three weeks. Benintendi's arrival will allow the Yankees to move Matt Carpenter back to the infield after playing him in right field.
Benintendi has a slash line of .321/.389/.399 (.788 OPS) this year, his first as an All-Star. Though he has only three home runs on the season, he ranks fifth in MLB with a .321 batting average and is tied for seventh with 111 hits.
He will provide a significant upgrade at the plate over the likes of Joey Gallo (.161/.285/.343) and Aaron Hicks (.243/.368/.351).
It's worth noting that Benintendi is unvaccinated against COVID-19, which means that, for now, he will be unavailable for the Yankees' three-game series in Toronto from Sept. 26-28 due to Canada's travel restrictions. Sources told Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported late Wednesday that Benintendi will now get the vaccine. He missed the Royals' four-game series in Toronto just before the All-Star break.
That should be the only series in which Benintendi's vaccination status comes up. New York Mayor Eric Adams in March granted exemptions to athletes and performers as to their vaccination status.
Benintendi's vaccination status reportedly was not considered by the Yankees. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
Benintendi’s vaccination status was never discussed, sources tell me and @Jaysonst. Yankees either not worried about one remaining series they have in Toronto, or received some indication Benintendi might get vaccine. TOR also was in mix for Benintendi, as were MIL and LAD.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 28, 2022
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What do the Royals get in the Yankees' pitching prospects?
The Royals aimed for quantity and quality in this deal, with the focus on stockpiling pitching. As noted by Royals Review, Kansas City receives some promising talent.
Sikkema is ranked #19 by MLB Pipeline. Former 1st rounder, but 23 still in A-ball, missed all of last year with injurries.
— Royals Review (@royalsreview) July 28, 2022
Way is ranked #21. 3.73 ERA in High-A as a starter, although some feel he will be a reliever.
Champlain has a 4.35 ERA in Low-A, but 11.5 K/9
Through Wednesday, Kansas City has the fourth-highest ERA (4.69), third-highest hits allowed (884), fifth-highest runs allowed (491) and fourth-highest earned runs allowed (449) in the majors. They are tied for last in MLB with the Nationals with a 1.46 WHIP.
