Yankees lefty from Andrew Benintendi trade finally joins enemy who could unlock him

It feels like a fever dream by this point, but the 2022 Yankees' manic midseason shakeup included the arrival of former rival Andrew Benintendi, by way of the Kansas City Royals. His contact bat and elite defense seemed like a strong fit, following an All-Star first half, and while his middling production was overshadowed by the gaping red hole that was the Frankie Montas trade, it certainly didn't go well.

He heated up a bit before a snapping wrist fracture ended his season in early September (neat!), but ultimately, this could've been categorized as a Cashman Specialty: give nothing, get nothing, turn a profit, claim you didn't profit.

Until now. As it turns out, one of the pieces the Yankees dealt away for a month of Benintendi — left-hander TJ Sikkema, along with pitchers Beck Way and Chandler Champlaign — has found his way to the team that most enjoys taunting the Yanks with their bullpen construction.

Welcome to the Red Sox, TJ! He'll be a non-roster invitee to Boston's spring training camp.

Red Sox add ex-Yankees lefty prospect TJ Sikkema to spring training non-roster invitee list

Sikkema hasn't ... really held much value after leaving the Yankees, nor did he realize much of his value while in the system. Last season, he posted a 4.57 ERA/4.08 FIP split between Double-A and Triple-A, complemented by a 7.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 85th percentile Barrel%, collected by Tyler Milliken.

Look, the odds are low that Sikkema retroactively makes the Yankees regret their decision to deal him to Not Boston. But the odds were also low that Garrett Whitlock, coming off Tommy John surgery, would not only make the Red Sox roster, but would instantly become an untouchable setup man. The odds were so low they were below the surface of the earth that Aroldis Chapman would add 4 MPH to his fastball after becoming a Red Sox, and would also learn that "command" was a thing due to an offhanded Connor Wong comment. The odds have been low before, and yet things seem to work out for the Sox more often than not when an ex-Yankee finds their way to Beantown.

Don't be stunned if you see some Sox podcaster tweet, "Sic 'em, Sikkema!" with an obnoxious GIF 286 times this season.