3 trades Cleveland Guardians should push for before 2022 deadline

2. Cleveland Guardians should push for Andrew Benintendi, LF, Royals

We’ll see how things go, but if the Royals (9-18) continue to slide, the Guardians should make a push for the Cincinnati native.

They’d be renting him, as Benintendi is in the final year of arbitration and can be a free agent at season’s end. He’s making just shy of $8 million, which means the Guards would be on the hook for less than half of that if they make him a deadline pick up.

If they’re able to get him, Benintendi would bring a Gold Glove to the outfield, while adding some offensive to the lineup. He’s currently batting .327 (.768 OPS).

Steven Kwan isn’t going anywhere, and if the Guardians were able to swing this trade, he’d likely move to right field, where he’s played seven games already this season. Benintendi has never played right, playing a majority of the time in left, with a little time mixed in in center field.

A trade within the division seems like wishful thinking, but if things go south for the Royals, I don’t know if they can be picky.