ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 21: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Kansas City Royals warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 21, 2022 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi will likely be traded before the trade deadline but with being unvaccinated, American League East teams are less likely to trade for him.
In the next three weeks, the Kansas City Royals are likely to trade their lone All-Star, outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi, 28, entered Wednesday hitting .314/.384/.399 in 86 games. He also has three home runs, 37 RBI, 14 doubles, and an OPS+ of 123.
But on Wednesday, it was publicly announced that Benintendi is not vaccinated for COVID-19. He and nine of his teammates will not be able to travel to Toronto this weekend when the Royals face the Blue Jays.
As a result, one team definitely won’t trade for him (the Blue Jays themselves) but other teams that will be playing the Blue Jays a lot in Toronto (the other AL East teams in the Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, and Orioles) are less likely to trade for him. Even teams that still face the Jays in Toronto that aren’t in their division may decide to get someone else.
But the teams that have already been in Toronto or won’t be in Toronto at all (unless it’s in the World Series) will be more likely to trade for him. Here are three teams that have better trade chances for Andrew Benintendi now.
3 MLB teams that could trade for Andrew Benintendi
Andrew Benintendi trade destination: The Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves have seen their chances at acquiring Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi skyrocket.
Last year, the Braves acquired a lot of outfield help after Ronald Acuña Jr.’s season-ending knee injury in July and it, quite frankly, won them the World Series. Two of the outfielders (Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler) became the NLCS and World Series MVPs.
This year, they have Acuña but the rest of the outfield is sub-par.
Benintendi plays left field and the Braves left fielders have had a 75 wRC+, which is third-worst in the sport. Defensively, their worst two players have been outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Eddie Rosario so Benintendi would be an upgrade both offensive and defensively.