The New York Yankees made their first big move ahead of the trade deadline, acquiring All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals in a trade that went down on Wednesday night.
As part of the deal, the Yankees will send the Royals a number of pitching prospects, such as: right-hander Beck Way, right-hander Chandler Champlain and left-hander T.J. Sikkema.
Benintendi, 28, was named to his first career MLB All-Star Game this season and is batting a career-best .320 with three home runs and 39 RBIs and a .788 OPS in 93 games this season, as he will be eligible for free agency following the season.
“Benintendi is a great hitter,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said (h/t ESPN). “Gets on base at a really high clip. Hits from the left side so, yeah, gives you some balance.”
Benintendi hit .276 with 17 homers and 73 RBIs, earning a Gold Glove last season, his first with the Royals.
“He’s a really good player,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said. “I had a chance to play against him for quite a few years when he was playing over in Boston, and I’ve seen him do a lot of impressive things. … He’ll be definitely a big piece of what we got going on here.”
“I think adding a guy like that would definitely give us a little bump up, that’s for sure. And I think he’s gonna fit right in.”
