Ex-Yankees outfielder gives nonsensical reason for leaving

Andrew Benintendi wants fans to believe that he didn’t leave the Yankees because of money. Nope, he simply wants to win, and that’s why he signed with the Chicago White Sox, a team that’s been in the postseason … hold on, we’re checking … twice in the past 14 seasons.

Benintendi broke Yankees fans’ hearts when he signed a five-year, $75 million deal in January.

“Yeah, as far as the contract, I’d rather keep it kind of how I live my life anyway, [which is] under the radar,” Benintendi told the Chicago Sun Times recently. “If no one notices me, it’s great.

“I don’t want to seem like I’m downplaying it, but [the money] always has been a second thing to me. I want to win. I want to get another ring. I’m just battling. I’m trying to avoid this question. I know I’m going to be asked about this all the time, but nobody wants to hear an athlete talk about that. Nothing else changes in my eyes. I’m not going to treat people differently, not going to do anything different. It’s just a byproduct of all the hard work I’ve done through the years and all the help I’ve had.”

Memo to Benintendi: While the Yankees haven’t won a championship in the past 13 seasons, their record of reaching the postseason is unsurpassed.

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Re-signing star right fielder Aaron Judge was the obvious No. 1 priority for the Yankees in the offseason. Bringing back first baseman Anthony Rizzo was probably No. 2, though they were able to make that happen in mid-November.

Keeping Benintendi in left field was also a top goal, club officials told NJ Advance Media, and general manager Brian Cashman told reporters during the offseason that the Yankees would “love” to bring Benintendi back. But there was a feeling among some in the clubhouse that he enjoyed his time in Kansas City and that he’d prefer to live and play in a smaller market, probably in the Midwest because he lives in St. Louis and grew up in Cincinnati. Chicago is as Midwest as you can get.

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The Yankees acquired Benintendi — who won a championship with the Red Sox — from the Royals at the trade deadline in exchange for three pitching prospects. Obviously, they preferred him in left field over Aaron Hicks, and liked his table-setting bat and, with the short porch in Yankee Stadium, his occasional pop.

“Maybe I can’t hit a ball 500 feet, which I don’t care,” Benintendi says. “My job isn’t to go out there and hit homers. I’m trying to get on base for guys that hit homers, and I think some things I’ve learned about and gotten a little better at is putting the ball in play, taking my walks, hitting for maybe a better average, getting on base, sacrificing a little bit of power.”

But he left the lineup that boasts the guy who holds the American League record for homers in a season and the team that hit the most home runs in 2022. But it wasn’t for the money. Go figure.

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