On Wednesday, it was revealed that the Kansas City Royals had to place 10 players on the restricted list ahead of their series against the Toronto Blue Jays because of their vaccination status.
It is widely known that Canada doesn’t allow unvaccinated athletes to travel and play in the country, so many squads have at least a few players who haven’t gotten the COVID-19 vaccine that they have to place on the restricted list.
These players forfeit payment and service time.
The Royals are, so far, the team with the highest numbers of unvaccinated ballplayers, with roughly 40 percent of their roster.
One of these players is outfielder Andrew Benintendi.
Teams May Hesitate Before Acquiring Benintendi
The Royals’ hitter is a trade candidate, but his status could be problematic for the team acquiring him.
“Teams pursuing Benintendi were informed by the Royals of the Benintendi vax status awhile back. Many are still in. That includes even the Jays (as of yesterday) as they are apparently hopeful he may agree to get the vax if he’s dealt there,” MLB insider Jon Heyman tweeted.
Teams pursuing Benintendi were informed by the Royals of the Benintendi vax status awhile back. Many are still in. That includes even the Jays (as of yesterday) as they are apparently hopeful he may agree to get the vax if he’s dealt there.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 14, 2022
If the Jays can’t get Benintendi to get the vaccine, it makes little sense to even entertain a trade offer.
The fact is that his status could affect his trade value around the league.
In fact, Heyman himself said that the Yankees may not be as interested now.
Yankees are unlikely to continue pursuit of Andrew Benintendi since he is unvaccinated. NYY has 6 games left in Toronto and could meet Jays in playoffs. Yanks are the one team to send their complete roster to play in Toronto.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 14, 2022
The reports are a bit conflicting, but the fact remains Benintendi, who is hitting .317/.386/.401 with three homers in 363 plate appearances, may see his market diminish with recent news.
The fact that some of these players are talking about taking the vaccine if they are traded to a winning situation shows a baffling lack of respect towards the Royals organization and their teammates.
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