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2022-07-23 00:13:20 By : Mabino Lin

Even though his vaccination status recently prevented him from playing in Toronto, All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi continues to draw interest from a slew of teams.

In fact, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com says that "multiple teams -- including some in the AL East -- are interested in acquiring the outfielder from the Kansas City Royals."

Benintendi was one of 10 players on the Royals that missed the team's final series of the first half because they were unvaccinated against COVID-19 and therefore not allowed to enter Canada for the team's series against the Blue Jays. Fellow trade candidates Whit Merrifield and Michael A. Taylor were also unable to play in the series.

That's noteworthy from a trade perspective because before Benintendi's vaccination status was known, we listed the Blue Jays as a possible landing spot for the 28-year-old. Benintendi began his career with the Red Sox, and there's been speculation about him as a fit in Boston once again. And both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are currently in playoff position and will be looking for upgrades on the market in advance of the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

If Benintendi is unwilling to get vaccinated, it would almost certainly eliminate the Blue Jays from consideration for him. Heck, he would probably need to get the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccination right now to even be eligible to play for Toronto in early August.

But maybe teams like the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays wouldn't altogether cross Benintendi off their list even if he decides to remain unvaccinated. Would it be sub-optimal if he's unable to play in Toronto for the rest of the regular season? Yes. Would it be really bad if they ended up facing the Blue Jays in the postseason? Sure, but Toronto is currently in control of the third Wild Card spot in the AL, so it's hardly a guarantee that there will be playoff baseball north of the border for anyone this year.

Whether Benintendi would get vaccinated for a chance to play in the postseason remains unclear.

"I’m just here to answer baseball questions," Benintendi said in Los Angeles over the All-Star Break, as noted by Greg Joyce of The New York Post. "I’m just going to stick to my initial comment I said a few days ago that it’s a personal choice for me. I’m going to leave it at that."

Set to become a free this offseason, Benintendi is slashing .317/.386/.401 with a .786 OPS in 2022. There's little doubt that, if available to play, Benintendi could have a major impact if inserted into a pennant race.

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