MLB Trade Rumors: Alex Verdugo Traded to Yankees, Red Sox Get Prospects Back
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees don't often make trades with one another, but the two division rivals did just that on Tuesday night.
The Red Sox are trading outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees in exchange for right-handers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
This marks just the seventh time in the last 50 years that the Red Sox and Yankees have made a trade with one another.
Verdugo has spent the last four seasons of his career with the Red Sox after being the main return for Boston in the deal that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Red Sox initially tried to trade Verdugo at the 2023 season's deadline, indicating to teams that they were willing to listen to offers on the outfielder, MassLive's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam reported on July 30.
Verdugo remained a trade candidate for Boston this winter and new Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow acknowledged last month that the team had received trade calls on the outfielder this offseason.
The 2023 campaign was a somewhat difficult one for Verdugo as he appeared to clash with manager Alex Cora on multiple occasions. He was benched in May for not running out a grounder and was benched again in August for arriving late to the park on game day.
The 27-year-old also struggled down the stretch and finished the year hitting .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI.
Speaking with The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey in October, Verdugo attributed some of his struggles to off-field issues:
"This is definitely one of the hardest years that I've ever had, and that's outside of baseball. I've had a lot of family stuff, family issues going on and just personal life things that have happened. I'm not here to paint a sad picture. I'm not here to read out my sob story, but at the end of the day, I am still a human. I'm still a person. When your family is affected, when your family's not doing the best, it weighs on you. But at the same time, I'm a professional. I've gotta go out there and handle our job and do what we have to do. My mind has been in a lot of different places."
Verdugo, who never seemed to reach his potential in Boston, became an expendable asset for the Red Sox this winter thanks to the depth the club boasts in the outfield entering 2024. Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Wilyer Abreu and top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela are all options to start next season.
Additionally, Verdugo is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility and will become a free agent after the 2024 season.
The Yankees entered the offseason hoping to retool their offense after a disappointing 2023 season in which they finished 25th in runs scored and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Verdugo now figures to start in the outfield for the Yankees alongside Aaron Judge while Giancarlo Stanton is likely to be the team's designated hitter, according to Passan.
Additionally, the Yankees remain engaged with the San Diego Padres on a potential trade for Juan Soto and the club "could still pursue him as they enter the season with limited proven outfield options beyond Verdugo, star Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton," Passan added.
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