AL East

The New York Yankees made the first notable move prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline by acquiring All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals.

It was announced late Wednesday night that the Yankees were sending minor league pitchers Chandler Champlain, T.J. Sikkema and Beck Way to Kansas City for Benintendi.

The Bronx Bombers know Benintendi well from his five-year tenure with the Boston Red Sox from 2016 to 2020. He was named to his first All-Star team this season and is currently hitting .320/.387/.398 with three homers and 39 RBI in 93 games.

In the wake of the move, here are three instant reactions to what this means for the Yankees and the rest of Major League Baseball ahead of the trade deadline.

Joey Gallo's Yankees Tenure Is Likely Over

Yankees fans have understandably been frustrated by the performance of Joey Gallo since he was acquired from the Texas Rangers in July 2021. The two-time All-Star has a .160/.293/.371 slash line with 25 homers and 46 RBI in 418 at-bats with the team dating back to last season.

However, Yankees manager Aaron Boone has continued to play Gallo in the starting lineup, mostly in left field, fairly regularly. He has appeared in 80 games this season (64 starts).

The addition of Benintendi, whose primary position happens to be left field, means that Boone can relegate Gallo to the bench for the remainder of the season.

The 28-year-old Gallo still has massive power potential and can be used in a pinch-hitting role late in games, but his overall output got to a point where it was impossible for a team with World Series aspirations to keep rolling him out every game hoping for a different result.

There's also the possibility that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman shops Gallo around before Tuesday's deadline. However, it seems unlikely he'll find any takers given Gallo's play and that he is still owed around $4 million for the rest of the season.

New York could potentially eat most of Gallo's salary to facilitate a deal. If that doesn't happen, it wouldn't be a surprise if he gets designated for assignment as soon as next week.

Yankees Get Stanton Insurance

While the primary impetus for Cashman acquiring Benintendi was likely to replace Gallo, Benintendi also provides them with some insurance in the wake of Giancarlo Stanton's latest injury.

The Yankees announced Tuesday that Stanton was placed on the 10-day injured list with Achilles tendinitis.

In the announcement, Boone noted Stanton requested an MRI after waking up "really sore getting around and doing some things." He added the team hopes and believes "it's a minor thing," but Stanton's injury history does make this situation worth monitoring.

Stanton, who was named MVP of the 2022 All-Star Game, had a stint on the injured list earlier this season with a strained calf. He only missed 10 games before returning June 4, but the five-time All-Star has missed at least 23 games in each of the previous three seasons.

Benintendi is a very different player than Stanton, as his game is predicated on contact and a high batting average. Stanton is only hitting .228 this season, but he's slugging .498 with 24 homers in 289 at-bats.

The best version of this Yankees lineup will have Benintendi and Stanton playing together, but they won't need to rush Stanton back now.

Are the Yankees Out on Juan Soto?

There might be an air of disappointment hovering over Yankees fans after adding Benintendi because he's not Juan Soto.

ESPN's Jeff Passan recently said on an episode of ESPN Daily that New York has the prospects to make a competitive offer to the Washington Nationals for the 23-year-old superstar.

Any potential offer from the Yankees for Soto would presumably have to include shortstop Anthony Volpe, as the 21-year-old is the No. 7 overall prospect in baseball, per MLB.com.

There have been rumblings that the St. Louis Cardinals are emerging as a front-runner in the Soto sweepstakes.

Per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the Cardinals' recent offer to Washington was built around 22-year-old second baseman Nolan Gorman and they would be willing to take on Patrick Corbin's contract to facilitate a deal.

It's still unclear how serious the Nationals are about potentially trading Soto during the season.

Passan noted earlier this week that executives around MLB are "unsure" about the sense of urgency from Washington general manager Mike Rizzo.

It seems unlikely this trade for Benintendi would prevent Cashman from going after Soto if he feels there is a real opportunity to get him. Benintendi can be a free agent at the end of this season; Soto is under team control through the 2024 season.

One potential scenario that the Yankees could be rooting for is Soto doesn't get traded by Tuesday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. That would serve two purposes, with the first one being it means he also didn't get moved to another team hoping to win the World Series this year.

But from a long-term perspective, it would allow Cashman to come back to Soto during the offseason. Judge's free agency is looming over the Yankees after this season, and he already turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million offer in spring training.

Judge's asking price isn't going to go down, as he's in the midst of an MVP-caliber season. His pending free agency will be fascinating because he's an elite player right now, but he will also turn 31 in April.

Rather than commit, say, seven or eight years to a 31-year-old who missed a total of 142 games from 2018 to 2020, the Yankees could make an aggressive play to add Soto while he has two years of team control remaining and hope to sign him to a long-term deal before he hits free agency after his age-25 season.

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge celebrated the arrival of outfielder Andrew Benintendi in a deal with the Kansas City Royals ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.

The Yankees announced they acquired Benintendi, a 2022 All-Star, for three pitching prospects—Chandler Champlain, T.J. Sikkema and Beck Way—after Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the New York Mets.

"Man, he's a really good player," Judge told reporters. "I've 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. It'll definitely be a big piece to what we've got going on here."

He added: "It will give us a real pump up for sure."

Benintendi is basically the antithesis of Joey Gallo, the much-maligned Yanks outfielder who's posted an unsightly .160 batting average since joining the club before last year's trade deadline.

The 28-year-old Ohio native can't match Gallo's pop with just three home runs in 93 appearances this season, but he gets on base at a high rate (.387 OBP) and plays solid defense, capturing a Gold Glove Award last season.

New York leads MLB with 168 homers in 2022, 14 more than the second-place Atlanta Braves, so losing a bit of power in favor of a more consistent hitter should benefit the lineup.

"He's obviously a really good player having an All-Star season," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "He has a track record of success with the Red Sox in their championship run and put together a really good year with the Royals."

Benintendi started his career with five years as a member of the Red Sox before getting traded to the Royals ahead of the 2021 campaign. His career slash line stands at .280/.352/.432 with 71 home runs and 65 stolen bases across 712 games.

The best spot for him in the Yanks lineup may be the No. 2 slot behind infielder DJ LeMahieu (.386 OBP), which would create a lot of RBI opportunities for Judge, Giancarlo Stanton (currently on the IL with an Achilles injury) and Anthony Rizzo when the team is at full strength.

Judge has built an MVP case from the No. 2 spot, however, so Boone and Co. may be hesitant to shift him down in the order. If that's the case, Benintendi will probably hit fifth or sixth.

Meanwhile, his arrival to Yankee Stadium could lead to Gallo's departure before next week's trade deadline.

Randy Miller of NJ Advance Media reported a source said Gallo is "hoping" for a trade to the San Diego Padres, whose front office is run by general manager A.J. Preller, who worked as a Texas Rangers executive when the club selected Gallo in the 2012 draft.

"He's waiting for something to happen," the source told Miller about Gallo's mindset.

The Yankees return to action Thursday night as they coincidentally open a four-game home series against the Royals.

Andrew Benintendi's time with the Kansas City Royals is over after fewer than two full seasons.

The team agreed to trade the outfielder to the New York Yankees for three minor leaguers on Wednesday.

The New York Yankees today announced that they have acquired OF Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for minor leaguers RHP Chandler Champlain, LHP T.J. Sikkema and RHP Beck Way.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 28, 2022

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the trade Wednesday night.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the minor leaguers are T.J. Sikkema, Beck Way and Chandler Champlain.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Benintendi informed the team that he will receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Benintendi has missed games against the Toronto Blue Jays this season due to his vaccination status because of Canada's border policies.

That the Royals moved him doesn't come as much of a surprise. After all, he is scheduled for free agency following this season, and the team isn't a realistic contender at 39-59 in last place in the American League Central.

Rather than risk losing Benintendi to the free-agency market during the upcoming offseason, Kansas City got what it could in this move with an eye on the future.

There was a time when Benintendi was seen as the future of the Boston Red Sox as a highly regarded prospect in their system. He did nothing to temper expectations when he finished in second place in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 and then helped lead the Red Sox to the World Series title the following season.

The Cincinnati native slashed .290/.366/.465 with 16 home runs, 87 RBI and 21 stolen bases for the championship team.

However, Benintendi took a step back in 2019 with every one of those numbers dropping on his way to a .266/.343/.431 slash line, 13 home runs, 68 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He then played just 14 games during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Boston traded him to the Royals ahead of the 2021 season, and it was fair to wonder if he would bounce back after struggling to live up to his early production and high expectations.

Yet Benintendi was a pleasant surprise for Kansas City last year as a Gold Glove winner with an OPS+ of 106 after it was 99 in 2019 and 25 in limited action in 2020, per Baseball Reference.

He also made his first career All-Star Game this season and is slashing .321/.389/.399 with three home runs and 39 RBI.

"If he continues to rake, he could be one of the biggest prizes of this year's trade deadline, and a hefty payday could be waiting next winter," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote of Benintendi in April.

The payday may be coming down the line, but for now the 28-year-old who is in the middle of his prime and just received an individual boost from his last change of scenery will focus on pursuing his second career World Series title with a top contender.

New York is already in the middle of the playoff race at 66-33, and Benintendi should see plenty of pitches to hit in a lineup that also features Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and more.

If he continues to play at an elevated level for the rest of the year, he may know what it's like to be a champion on both sides of the biggest rivalry in baseball.

The New York Yankees are reportedly targeting two of the top starting pitchers on the market, the Oakland Athletics' Frankie Montas and Cincinnati Reds' Luis Castillo, ahead of Tuesday's 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Wednesday the Yanks have made upgrading their rotation a "priority," but so far they aren't close to any blockbuster deals.

New York's starting staff has been mostly strong throughout 2022. Its starters rank third in ERA (3.31) behind only the Los Angeles Dodgers (2.77) and Houston Astros (3.21), per FanGraphs.

Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon are all putting together strong seasons, so the only real question mark is the No. 5 spot with Domingo German and Luis Severino both being limited by injuries this season.

The Yankees aiming for a high-end arm like Montas or Castillo is more a product of them owning realistic World Series aspirations than trying to fill a desperate need.

Montas has compiled a 3.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings across 19 starts for the A's this season. He's struck out 578 batters in 552.2 career innings.

The 29-year-old Dominican Republic native is one of several players Oakland could move before the deadline with the front office focused firmly on the future. The team owns MLB's second-worst record at 37-63 in large part because of a noncompetitive offense.

After Tuesday's start against the Astros, the right-hander admitted a potential move has been on his mind amid a flurry of trade rumors.

"I'm not gonna lie, of course I've been thinking about it," Montas told reporters. "Especially with the deadline coming up pretty soon. There was a time today that I thought, 'Hey, this might be my last start here.'"

Meanwhile, it's much the same story for Castillo and the Reds, who sit at 37-59 amid a rebuilding project.

Castillo, 29, earned his second All-Star selection this season while on pace to post career-best numbers despite playing home games in the bandbox known as Great American Ball Park. He's recorded a 2.77 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 13 outings.

Like Montas, he also provides intriguing strikeout numbers, having racked up 852 in 785.1 MLB innings.

Either high-profile starter would provide a major boost to the Yankees staff, but that level of marquee trade is not necessary to keep the team in contention. Even a move for a less costly mid-rotation starter would help provide some insurance.

But, at least for now, New York's front office is shooting for the stars ahead of the deadline.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jose Quintana is reportedly "drawing interest" from the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees ahead of Tuesday's 2022 MLB trade deadline.

Fansided's Robert Murray reported the update Wednesday and noted the Toronto Blue Jays are also a potential suitor for Quintana, who's posted a 3.70 ERA in 19 starts this season.

The 33-year-old left-hander isn't the most exciting name on the trade market, but he'd provide solid back-of-rotation depth for a contender down the stretch.

Quintana has compiled a career 3.83 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 302 appearances in 11 seasons with the White Sox, Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants. He made four outings (three starts) for the Cubs in the 2017 playoffs.

Along with his experience, he'd also arrive with a limited financial impact as he's playing under a one-year, $2 million contract.

He'd provide a safety-net option for the Yankees (66-32), who've enjoyed a lot of rotation success thanks to Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Jordan Montgomery and Jameson Taillon but face some uncertainty with the fifth spot.

Domingo German recently returned for New York after an extended stint on the IL with a shoulder injury and Luis Severino is currently sidelined with a lat strain.

It's a similar story for the White Sox, with whom Quintana previously pitched from 2012 through 2017. They could use a depth starter in case Lance Lynn, who's posted a 6.43 ERA in eight starts since returning from a knee injury in mid-June, can't find his form.

In both cases, as well as Toronto, it's possible Quintana could end up in the bullpen by season's end. The Jays are close to getting Yusei Kikuchi back from the IL to fill the No. 5 spot in their rotation.

Getting an asset or two for Quintana would be smart business by the Pirates, who've faded out of playoff contention with a 40-58 record and will likely use the stretch run to evaluate fringe roster players with an eye toward 2023.

All told, it would be a surprise if the 2016 All-Star isn't moved before the deadline.

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Bryan Reynolds is reportedly generating interest from multiple teams ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins "have not stopped calling" the Pirates regarding a potential Reynolds trade. However, neither team has offered an intriguing enough package for Pittsburgh to part with the 27-year-old.

Pittsburgh is in fourth place in the National League Central at 40-58, making it a natural team to trade with a contender like the Yankees.

Yet Reynolds is under team control through the 2025 season, so there is no immediate pressure for the Pirates to trade him. He could still be an important contributor down the line when the team may be more competitive with a farm system MLB.com ranked as the seventh-best in the league at the start of the year.

The Marlins are not a contender this season either but checked in at No. 6 on those rankings, so they may be thinking along the same lines that Reynolds could be a contributor when the farm system is ready to hit the majors given his contract status.

Reynolds is slashing .257/.339/.459 with 15 home runs and 32 RBI in 84 games this season.

They are solid numbers but also represent a dropoff from last year when he was an All-Star and slashed .302/.390/.522 with 24 home runs, 90 RBI and a league-best eight triples. It was the second time in three years he finished with a batting average over .300 and proved he can be a power hitter who launches 20-plus homers in the middle of a lineup.

He would have plenty of protection to do just that in the Yankees' order considering Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and more are threats to go deep every time they step to the plate.

Reynolds would likely receive far better pitches to hit than he does in a weak Pittsburgh lineup, which could help the Bronx Bombers parlay their excellent regular season into their first World Series crown since 2009.

J.D. Martinez might not be a member of the Boston Red Sox come Aug. 2.

The Red Sox are listening to offers for the veteran slugger, ESPN's Buster Olney said on Tuesday's episode of the Baseball Tonight podcast (h/t Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors).

The report comes after Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy said during an interview with WEEI (h/t Alex Speier of the Boston Globe) that "there's been no discussion or communication internally or externally" about trading either Rafael Devers or Xander Bogaerts ahead of the deadline.

Some believed Bogaerts could be a trade candidate this summer as he is expected to opt out of his contract with the Red Sox this fall and enter free agency. Devers was also speculated as a trade candidate as he and the BoSox have been unable to reach an agreement on an extension and he'll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023 season.

As for Martinez, he is in the final year of his contract, earning $19.35 million this season.

The 34-year-old has been with the Red Sox since 2018 and is in the midst of yet another impressive season in Boston, hitting .302/.368/.481 with nine home runs and 38 RBI in 81 games.

However, the Red Sox continue to lose standing in the AL East, sitting fourth with a 49-48 record, and appear further and further away from contending. They are 17 games behind the first-place New York Yankees and continue to fall behind the third-place Tampa Bay Rays.

Boston is also in danger of dropping to fifth in the division, with the Baltimore Orioles at 48-48.

In addition, the Red Sox are dealing with a slew of injuries. Pitchers Chris Sale, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill, James Paxton, Matt Strahm, Matt Barnes, Josh Taylor and Tyler Danish are on the injured list, as are Trevor Story, Christian Arroyo, Kike Hernandez and Devers.

If the Red Sox decide to sell, Martinez might not end up being the only player moved in Boston at this year's deadline, so keep an eye on the team as we inch closer to the Aug. 2 deadline.

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton has been placed on the 10-day injured list with left Achilles tendonitis, per the team.

Outfielder Tim Locastro has been recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his roster spot.

The 32-year-old Stanton already dealt with injuries this season, going on the 10-day injured list in May with a right calf strain. It was part of an injury-filled month for the Bronx Bombers.

While Stanton was also largely healthy in 2021, playing 139 games, he did miss 13 games last May with a quad strain. He was one of the few Yankees who managed to stay healthy in a historically beat-up season for the club.

However, he only played 23 games in 2020 and just 18 the previous year. He's only played 140 games or more once in his five seasons with the Yankees.

When healthy Stanton has played well, hitting .273 with 35 homers and 97 RBI last season. This year, he's hitting just .228 but has 24 homers, 61 RBI and a .807 OPS.

Keeping him on the field has been a major issue, though, compounded by the fact that the team is paying him $29 million this year as part of a 13-year, $325 million contract that goes through the 2027 season (there is a club option in 2028 for $25 million).

Stanton and the Yankees will be hoping this latest issue isn't a recurring one as they gear up for a postseason run.

It's reportedly become "increasingly realistic" the Boston Red Sox will be seller ahead of the 2022 MLB trade deadline on Aug. 2 after having fallen to fourth place in the AL East.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Tuesday rival executives expect Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will be "open for business" with J.D. Martinez, Enrique "Kike" Hernandez and Nathan Eovaldi leading the notable names who could be placed on the trade block.

Even if Boston proceeds with a fire sale, Xander Bogaerts isn't among those who will likely be moved despite having a player option in his six-year, $120 million contract that could make him a free agent at season's end, per Passan.

The Red Sox have tumbled down the standings in recent weeks amid a cold stretch that includes a 2-8 record over their past 10 games. The skid was lowlighted by a 28-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.

Boston's record stands at 49-48, and it's three games behind the Seattle Mariners (52-45) for the final wild-card spot in a crowded AL playoff race.

If the front office decides contention isn't possible, it could take advantage of a trade market lacking sellers with high-impact assets.

Martinez, a longtime outfielder who's exclusively played designated hitter for the Red Sox this season, would immediately become one of the best players available. He's posted a .302/.368/.481 slash line with nine home runs in 81 appearances in 2022.

The 34-year-old slugger, who's coming off his fifth All-Star appearance, told WEEI's Rob Bradford the situation is "very weird" leading up to the deadline. He named Bogaerts, Eovaldi and Christian Vazquez as players in similar uncertain situations.

"For me, this is the fourth team I've been on and if you get traded that means you're going to be on a contending team, and if you don't get traded that means you are on a contending team," Martinez said. "It's a win-win."

Hernandez, 30, is on the IL with a hip injury, but once healthy he could provide a value as a utility player for a contender, similar to what he did with the Los Angeles Dodgers in recent years. He's played every position other than catcher in the big leagues.

Eovaldi, 32, has endured an up-and-down 2022 season en route to a 4.30 ERA, but his 79 strikeouts in 75.1 innings showcase some upside for interested teams.

All told, it's possible the Red Sox get hot over the next week and the front office decides to keep the group together to make a postseason push.

It sounds like a sell-off is becoming more probable with each passing loss, though.

The Boston Red Sox aren't expected to trade star shortstop Xander Bogaerts ahead of the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

"Rival executives anticipate that even if Boston unloads a half-dozen players, Bogaerts, the star 29-year-old shortstop, won't be among them, even though he's set to hit free agency this winter," per Passan.

Team president Sam Kennedy addressed Bogaerts' status during an interview on The Greg Hill Show:

Look, all I'll say is there has been no discussion or commentary internally or externally about moves related to the trade deadline involving Xander or (Rafael Devers) or anyone else to my knowledge at this point. We're focused on getting back in this thing and winning. [...]

We've said it repeatedly on these airwaves and in other forums that we've got a responsibility to do everything in our power to make sure that we're built to be competitive into the postseason. And Xander and Raffy and the guys who have gotten us there in the past, we hope they're a part of this for a long, long time.

The four-time All-Star can opt out of his six-year, $120 million contract in the winter, and that figures to be the route he takes based on his performance this season.

Bogaerts is batting .312 with a .443 slugging percentage and seven home runs in 93 games. Per FanGraphs, he's fourth among shortstops in WAR (3.7) and second in wOBA (.362).

Per Passan, Bogaerts will look to sign for $200 million or more as a free agent, and that's a reasonable benchmark if Corey Seager can get $325 million over 10 years from the Texas Rangers.

If the Red Sox hold onto the four-time Silver Slugger beyond the deadline, it could signal their desire to lock him down with a long-term extension. But Boston hasn't gone above and beyond to retain its top homegrown talent in recent years.

The team traded Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers rather than meet his asking price on a multiyear contract. In June, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported the Sox and third baseman Rafael Devers "were eons apart in talks this spring" on an extension.

With the qualifying offer going nowhere, perhaps Boston is content to watch Bogaerts leave and receive a draft pick in the process.

Of course, Bogaerts basically holds all of the cards because he has a full no-trade clause. Although leaving the Red Sox, who at 49-48 are three games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League, might give him a better shot at contending for a title, he could be perfectly happy to remain right where he is for the second half of 2022.

In that case, Boston's hands would be tied.