Where are Yankees on Andrew Benintendi, Aaron Hicks, Josh Donaldson

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The Yankees want Andrew Benintendi to come back, but not for five years. They want to keep Andrew Benintendi because they need another left-handed bat and want more runners on base at the top of their lineup.

Brendan Kuty of NJ Advance Media said last week that the New York Yankees’ “top task” is to keep Benintendi in left field. Andrew Benintendi is still a free agent but he wants a five-year deal, which the Yankees would rather not do. There were also rumors that Benintendi, who was born in Cincinnati, didn’t like living and playing in New York City, even though he had no problems with his teammates or the fans.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic says that there are a lot of teams interested in the free-agent outfielder. Andrew Benintendi would be an excellent fit for teams, such as the Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros, Rays, and Marlins which need a left-handed hitting outfielder.

The Yankees haven’t been able to trade Josh Donaldson or Aaron Hicks. Donaldson was a great third baseman, but his bat speed, which he says is his trademark, is questionable. One reason why Carlos Correa couldn’t work for them was because of Donaldson and how much he was paid.

The Yankees would love to get rid of the money they still have to pay outfielder Aaron Hicks ($30 million over three years) and third baseman Josh Donaldson ($27 million over one year). They tried to trade at the last deadline, but no one was interested. The team has been talking about Donaldson all offseason, pointing out that, even though 2022 was his worst season at the plate, he played great defense. In 132 games, Donaldson hit just .222 with 15 home runs, 62 RBI, and a .682 OPS. In the playoffs, he struck out in 16 of his 29 at-bats.

Whether or not DJ LeMahieu needs surgery on an injured toe on his right foot could change a lot. The Yankees hope to know by the end of the month if the 34-year-old will have surgery. The injury kept LeMahieu from playing in the playoffs. Manager Aaron Boone said that LeMahieu has been in Tampa, running and hitting grounders at the team’s training complex. According to Boone, LeMahieu had informed about feeling great. But the manager never told if he had been hitting without any pain.

If LeMahieu hopes to be ready for Opening Day, the Yankees might try to trade Gleyber Torres for more pitching. Another question pertains to the Yankees’ rookies Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe, who are currently being tested against Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Will they have them or go to trade shortstops? If Donaldson isn’t traded, could he be moved to the bench?

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