Kansas City Royals ready to make expected move with Andrew Benintendi

It is not a surprise that the Kansas City Royals will be sellers at the trade deadline. A season had had begun with hope and the belief that they were ready to contend for a playoff spot has crashed and burned to the point where even the always optimistic front office has to face reality. That reality is that the Royals are not contending this year and may be further away than they had believed.

And now, several pieces are going to be on the trade block. The most interesting of those may be Andrew Benintendi, who the Royals are reportedly actively shopping.

Kansas City Royals listening on Andrew Benintendi

Benintendi may be one of the top outfielders available at the deadline. He has resurrected his career with the Royals posting a solid .302/.366/.395 batting line with three homers and 11 doubles in his 287 plate appearances. After winning a Gold Glove last year, he could be en route to his first All Star Game as Kansas City’s token representative.

However, it is possible that he will be moved by that time. With plenty of teams looking for help in the outfield, and the added Wild Card spot theoretically putting more teams in the mix, adding a player sooner could provide an advantage. If the Royals are shopping Benintendi as aggressively as it would appear, a deal could come together relatively quickly.

Despite being a rental, that litany of teams looking for outfield help could lead to a surprising return as well. The Royals do have plenty of youngsters in the majors or on the cusp, but few have found success. Adding another well regarded prospect or two could help as they look to build a sustainable contender.

This also does not end the potential that Benintendi could return to Kansas City next year. There had been some speculation that the Royals would look to extend the left fielder prior to the season, although that seems to have gone away as they are focused on subtracting. However, it is clear that they need to add major league caliber talent if they are going to contend, and bringing Benintendi back would make sense. For now, he should be looking for moving companies.

The Kansas City Royals are reportedly actively shopping Andrew Benintendi. Their almost annual fire sale is ready to get underway.