MLB trade deadline tracker: Benintendi heads to New York

The 2022 MLB trade deadline is upon us, and a handful of squads are pursuing new life with meaningful transactions.

This year’s trade deadline was a bit later than usual, as teams have until 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 2 to file paperwork to the league’s office to complete trades.

Here are the swaps that have happened so far, along with grades for the bigger transactions from our FOX Sports MLB writers.

June 27: Seattle Mariners acquire Carlos Santana from Kansas City Royals

Key stats: Santana was hitting .216/.349/.341 (.690 OPS) with four homers and 21 RBIs in 52 games at the time of the trade.

Who else was involved?: Seattle added the veteran DH and first baseman Santana by dealing right-handed pitchers Wyatt Mills and William Fleming to the Royals.

July 23: New York Mets acquire Daniel Vogelbach from the Pittsburgh Pirates

Key stats: At the time of the trade, Vogelbach was batting .228 with 12 home runs, a .769 OPS and a 117 OPS+ this season. He was batting .260 with all of his homers, an .896 OPS and a 153 OPS+, against righties.

Who else was involved?: The Mets added much-needed DH help after acquiring left-handed-hitting slugger Vogelbach for rookie reliever Colin Holderman.

Why it matters: In 124 plate appearances at the time of the trade, lefty Mets DHs were batting .152 with a .458 OPS — the lowest of any team with even 50 plate appearances by lefty DHs — and just one home run.

July 27: New York Yankees acquire Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals

Key stats: Through 93 games, Benintendi was hitting .320/.387/.398 (.785 OPS), with three home runs and 39 RBIs. 

Who else was involved?: The Royals acquired three pitching prospects in TJ Sikkema, Chandler Champlain and Beck Way.

Yankees trade grade: A-

“Benintendi has established himself as a high-contact, slightly above average hitter with a good walk rate and middling power who can provide sufficient defense in a corner outfield spot. More solid than spectacular this season despite an All-Star selection a few weeks ago, Benintendi will provide the Yankees lineup with a somewhat different look upon his arrival. He’s not a game-changing, season-altering player by any means, but there’s real value in having a high-contact left-handed stick, especially with Giancarlo Stanton hitting the IL this week.” – Jake Mintz

Royals trade grade: B+

“With Benintendi due to hit free agency this winter, it makes complete sense that the Royals dealt him to a contender for a trio of pitching prospects: TJ Sikkema, Chandler Champlain and Beck Way. None of these three are paradigm-shifting talents, but there’s a good chance at least one of them becomes a solid big league contributor.” – Jake Mintz

Stay tuned for more updates.