Andrew Benintendi, seen as a prime candidate to fill the Yankees’ left field need, is reportedly off the board.
According to multiple reports, and first reported by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, the veteran outfielder has signed a five-year, $75 million deal with the White Sox, sending Benintendi back to the AL Central, where he played with the Royals before being traded to the Yanks last summer.
The Yanks have a clear need in left field, as Brian Cashman has said publicly, considering Aaron Hicks’ season-long struggles in 2022. According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Yanks had interest in a Benintendi reunion, but did not want to go up to five years in a deal. So Benintendi is off to Chicago.
Benintendi got off to a brutal start with the Yanks after being traded, and had just begun to find his way before suffering a broken hamate bone in his hand on a swing. It was the last swing he took as a Yankee, and his bat was missed in an ALCS sweep at the hands of the Astros, where the offense went down with a whimper.
Now, the Yanks will have to turn their attention elsewhere for left field help. Michael Conforto and Michael Brantley are all free agent options, while Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds has reportedly asked to be traded, though the asking price is assumed to be very high, given the 2021 All-Star isn’t a free agent until 2026.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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