Yankees rolling, but need Andrew Benintendi to deal with Astros, scout says in Q & A

Kansas City Royals left fielder Andrew Benintendi is on the block and, according to an MLB scout, the Yankees need him as a final puzzle piece to a club that is a World Series co-favorite along with the Astros.
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CLEVELAND — The Yankees bussed 135 miles from Cleveland to Pittsburgh after Sunday’s 2-0 loss to the Guardians for a rare treat. Their first full day off in three weeks is a holiday. Word is Gerrit Cole planned to host an event for teammates in his old stomping grounds.

The Yankees sure earned having a down day after going 14-6 in a stretch where they played 20 games in 20 days against a bunch of good teams — the Rays, Blue Jays, Twins and Astros.

“Tough stretch,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Some tough travel. Some middle of the night situations, day games after night games. I thought we played well through it and I know everyone’s probably looking forward to that day off. Hopefully, it’s a good reset. Kind of charge the batteries.”

There’s still a half season to go and then the playoffs, and so far ... wow! With 80 games down and 82 to go, the Yankees are almost at the halfway point with a 58-22 a record that is by far better than anyone’s else and they’re on a pace for a record 117 wins.

How good are they? We’ll find out in October, right?

While we wait, NJ Advance Media went to a Major League scout who has seen a lot of the Yankees this season and was in Cleveland over the weekend for an expert opinion.

Here’s his take in a Q & A where we granted the scout anonymity so that he could provide honest opinion:

Q: The Yankees have the best record. Are they the best team?

Scout: It’s either the Yankees or Houston. The Astros aren’t better than the Yankees, but they’re just as good. The Yankees have been going through a stretch for so long that they haven’t been challenged other than by Houston. I think they’ve got one bad stretch in them and nobody knows when it’s going to come out. They can’t play like this all year.

Q: The Yankees recently split four games with the Astros in New York, then lost a makeup game in Houston last week. What did these games against the Astros tell you?

Scout: It told me everybody was wrong who thought Houston was going to roll over this year. Carlos Correa is gone. They’ve lost other pieces. They’re not rolling over. Their young pitching is coming of age and Justin Verlander is back and about as good as ever. I think it’s inevitable the Yankees and Astros will meet up in the playoffs. It’ll be a seven-game series and either team can win.

Q: What would you be worried about if you were the Yankees?

Scout: You just saw Aroldis Chapman implode again on Saturday. He was scary. Three batters, three walks and he wasn’t even close on a lot of pitches. The Yankees should be real concerned about that. If Clay Holmes gets hurt, they’re in deep trouble in that bullpen. Holmes is for real though. I don’t see him going bad. Nobody can do anything with his sinker. All hitters can do with it is pound the ball into the dirt. The Yankees can’t lose him with Chapman unreliable. And it’s great that Zack Britton probably is coming back later in the season, but nobody knows what the Yankees will get. Some guys aren’t great right after they return from Tommy John.

Q: What’s impressed you most about the Yankees?

Scout: I tip my hat to Aaron Boone and the job he’s done mixing and matching lineups. He’s done a good job keeping Giancarlo Stanton active playing defense.

Q: What would you do about Joey Gallo?

Scout: Go find a replacement. I’d get Gallo the hell out of there.

Q: Does Gallo have any trade value?

Scout: None. All he does is strike out and play a good corner outfield. He’s stopped hitting a lot of homers. He’s not walking as much. If you throw Gallo a fastball up, he’ll chase it and he can’t get to it.

Q: Are you good with the Yankees going with Aaron Hicks in left, Aaron Judge in center and Giancarlo Stanton in right, or would you trade for someone and make Hicks the extra guy?

Scout: They ought to go out and trade with Kansas City for Andrew Benintendi. He’s a line-drive hitter from the left side who is hitting .300. He’s somebody that you can count on every day. He’d stabilize left field to where you don’t have to worry about it. He won a Gold Glove year. He played and won in Boston, so he can handle the New York market and pressure. He’s got big-time makeup, too. I’m telling you, the Yankees need this guy in their lineup instead of Gallo.

Q: What’s it going to cost to get Benintendi? He’s a free agent after the season, so you’re only getting a rental.

Scout: The Royals are asking for a lot. They’ll probably get two good prospects. They want young position players and the Yankees have enough to get a deal done and not give up the guys that they really want to keep — Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, probably Austin Wells.

Q: What would you give up for Benintendi?

Scout: Anything. The Yankees have a chance to win the World Series this year. If Benintendi cost you Oswald Peraza or Everson Pereira plus a good pitching prospect, do it. They probably won’t trade Clarke Schmidt. I get it. I like him, too, and he’ll probably be in their rotation next year. I’m not as high on JP Sears. The pitcher I’d keep is Luis Medina. I saw him in Somerset this year and I think he can be a big arm in the Yankees bullpen right now. But anyone else, if a couple of prospects who are ranked high can get you a hitter that might help you win a World Series, I’d never let that stop me from making a trade.

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com.

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