The New York Yankees have had opportunities in the past to trade Miguel Andujar, and they may have waited a bit too long to execute. With Giancarlo Stanton being placed on the 10-day injured list about two weeks ago due to a sore ankle, management called upon Miguel to feature in his place.
Over 12 games this season, Andujar is hitting .268 with three RBIs and a 16.3% strikeout rate. For Triple-A Scranton, he’s hitting .289 with four homers and 10 RBIs, hosting a 15.4% strikeout rate.
Andujar’s offensive capabilities have never been in question, it has always been his liabilities on defense. He made the transition from the infield to left field several years ago, but it has taken time to earn enough reps to feel comfortable.
Over 88 innings of action in the majors this season, Andujar has a perfect fielding percentage. His defensive efficiency has clearly taken a big step forward, but after the Yankees demoted him back to Triple-A on Friday night, he requested a trade once again from the front office.
“Miggy’s a great guy,” Boone said to reporters on Saturday. “That’s a difficult option, understanding that he’s a big part of what we’ve done here, and certainly wants to be here. So I understand that’s a tough one. … He had been playing regularly for us. He’s been part of us winning ballgames.”
At 27 years old, Andujar believes he deserves a more prevalent spot on the roster. Another team may be willing to give him that experience, which is why he has requested to move on from the Yankees. They have utilized him situationally to supplement injuries.
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The question is, how much value can the Yankees get from Andujar right now?
According to BaseballTradeValues.com, Andujar actually features a negative value. It would take a multiplayer package to move him and acquire something useful in return. For example, if the Yankees wanted to strike a deal with the Kansas City Royals, who are having a disappointing season, they may look to target Andrew Benintendi to solve their outfield problem.
Benintendi currently hosts a .328 average with two homers and 21 RBIs over 51 games. His 14.2% strikeout rate and 9.4% walk rate would be welcomed to the Yankees’ batting order.
Benintendi currently has a numerical value of 11.5, per BaseballTradeValues. To acquire him, the Bombers would have to package Andujar and prospects Trey Sweeney and outfielder Estevan Florial (other variations would work as well).
Sweeney is an up-and-coming shortstop who could become a valuable piece down the road, but the Yanks are flush at the position with Anthony Volpe, Rodrick Arias, and Oswald Peraza. In other words, they can afford to utilize Sweeney in a package deal, and since Florial has struggled to make the transition to the bigs, they may want to capitalize on whatever value he has left.
General manager Brian Cashman will likely be making a few moves before the trade deadline this year, and if Andujar wants out, he’s going to have to throw him in as a kicker in a bigger trade. Miguel is about to hit arbitration in 2023, which will likely indicate an increase in pay given his major league service time. That is likely why his value is so low despite taking a step forward with his defensive contributions.