Despite getting swept in a quick two-game interleague series and struggling the previous month or so, the New York Yankees went and made one of the first big splashes before the MLB Trade Deadline by making a deal with the Kansas City Royals for All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi in exchange for minor leaguers Chandler Champlain, Beck Way, and T.J. Sikkema.
Today, we are going to dissect what this means for the New York Yankees and their chances for bringing home their 28th World Series this season.
Andrew Benintendi Doing Well
Andrew Benintendi coming to the New York Yankees can mean a lot of things as he is a true rental as he is a free agent at the end of this season. Looking at his numbers, he has a .785 OPS with a 123 OPS+ at the plate.
He is a left-handed hitter to continue balancing out the rest of the order with right-handed hitters like:
- Aaron Judge
- Giancarlo Stanton
- Gleyber Torres
To name a few. However, this could really change up the batting order as Benintendi is a lefty that can be used towards the top of the batting order.
Then we need to talk about his defense as he won the 2021 Gold Glove in the Kansas City Royals outfield, so having a solid corner outfielder can mean the end of Joey Gallo’s tenure in the Bronx.
Now the Yankees can deploy at an outfield of Benintendi-Judge-Stanton or Benintendi-Hicks-Judge at any time as Benintendi will likely remain at left field, though he has played some center during his career.
He was second in the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year voting to Aaron Judge and has hit well against right-handed pitchers as he is posting an .844 OPS against them.
This trade does not influence New York’s ability to go make another as he is only making $8.5 million this season.
One major issue was Benintendi’s vaccination status as he was unable to make the trip to Toronto, but according to the Post’s Jon Heyman, Benintendi told people he will be vaccinated.
The Yankees Outfield Concerns
The Yankees have a couple of lingering issues in their outfield with Joey Gallo struggling brutally, and Giancarlo Stanton just being placed on the MLB Injured List this weekend with Achilles tendonitis and is expected to miss a few weeks due to the injury.
The team seem to be either designating Joey Gallo for assignment or trading him for a relief pitcher at this point.
The Yankees have outfielders:
- Aaron Judge
- Aaron Hicks
- Joey Gallo
- Andrew Benintendi
- Giancarlo Stanton
- Tim Locastro
- Matt Carpenter
All under the contract that are outfielders, as well as Marwin Gonzalez that can play out there. Juggling at-bats can be a little tricky with that many people on the team, but the Yankees like resting players and this could mean that Gallo is now officially a bench player until he is moved.
They have a solid amount of players that can play the three outfield spots and the designated hitter that can rotate and that will be a great sign for the team.
What Are the Betting Odds for the World Series?
The Yankees as of this writing are leading the American League by two games for home-field advantage throughout the postseason and have a large 11.5 game lead in the AL East so far.
The sportsbooks are all in the same range in terms of future odds for the World Series as they are in the +350-+380 range and that is the top two spots in the majors with them flipping with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What Do the Yankees Do Now?
This move could be the sign that the Yankees are out of the Juan Soto sweepstakes if he is traded away before the August 2 Trade Deadline.
The Yankees traded their 19th, 21st, and an unranked prospect so there is a chance none of those would be in that trade as well.
However, the next biggest concern is pitching as the Yankees need some better pitching performances with their injuries with Luis Severino, Miguel Castro, Chad Green, Michael King, and Stephen Ridings are all currently on the Injured List.
That is not including Zack Britton potentially returning at the end of the season and that will help with some unknown minor league trades.
Yankees need pitching in both the starting rotation and the bullpen, but getting Juan Soto is definitely on the table for New York until they tell you otherwise.
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.