By Chris Kirschner, Jen McCaffrey and Brendan Kuty
The New York Yankees have acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for pitching prospects Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice, the teams announced Tuesday.
Verdugo hit .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 142 games for Boston last season. The 27-year-old is expected to earn around $9 million in his final arbitration season. He played seven seasons in the majors, the first three with the Dodgers, before being traded as part of the deal that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles.
The trade is only the seventh between the Yankees and Red Sox since 1972. The teams last signed deals in May. Outfielder Greg Allen went to New York in return for minor league pitcher Diego Hernández and for money reasons.
Why the Red Sox made the move
There weren’t many certainties about whether the Red Sox would play in Nashville this week, but signs of a Verdugo transfer had been clear for months. The outfielder, entering his final year before free agency, had a strong year defensively as an American League Gold Glove finalist in right field but a poor year at the plate, where he posted a league-average 100 OPS+. Meanwhile, he was very publicly benched by coach Alex Cora twice, once at the start of the season for failing to get out of the penalty area and again towards the end of the year when he was late in the stadium arrived.
With a lineup already heavy on lefties, Verdugo, another lefty, became a premier player as the Red Sox looked to upgrade the team. The trade means catcher Connor Wong is now the only player left from the Mookie Betts trade to the Dodgers in 2020, which brought in Verdugo and infielder Jeter Downs, who was released last year.
By trading Verdugo for two minor league pitchers in addition to Weissert, who bounced between Triple-A and the majors the last two seasons, the Red Sox further strengthened their farm system. The system has improved in recent years but was overloaded with position players, so two young pitchers were added – including the Yankees’ No. 19 prospect in Double A in starter Fitts, who was named the Double-A Eastern League pitcher was last year – has strengthened the group in this regard. – Jen McCaffrey, Red Sox staff writer
What it means for the Yankees
According to general manager Brian Cashman, the Yankees needed to add two outfielders this offseason, preferably left-handed. Verdugo checks both boxes for the Yankees.
It’s an interesting trade for the Yankees, however, as Verdugo has essentially been a league-average hitter for three straight seasons and has played exclusively in right field for the Red Sox this year. Verdugo likely won’t play right field for the Yankees, as that is Aaron Judge’s spot. That leaves center field and left field as Verdugo’s options.
Verdugo played most of his games in left field for Boston in 2022 and has not played center field since 2021. Theoretically, Judge could play center field, but the team was hesitant to use him there this season, even before he suffered the toe injury.
But if the Yankees acquire Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres, Verdugo could find himself in right field. Soto is a very poor defender and Verdugo performed poorly in midfield when he played there. If a Soto deal goes through, they may need Judge to man the middle of the outfield. – Chris Kirschner, Yankees staff writer
Verdugo has some history in New York
Verdugo has an interesting history with Yankees fans. In 2021, a fan in the stands hit him in the head with a baseball while he was playing left field. The fan was banned from all MLB stadiums for life. In 2022, Verdugo hit a home run at Yankee Stadium and then pointed at the fans in left field who heckled him.
“Just know that it’s hard to walk in my shoes. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around it,” Verdugo said at the time. “The boys in the team already bother me enough. Whatever they say, it’s no big deal. They educate the family, they educate everyone. And you just have to giggle and laugh and just use it as fuel to make a play or get something going.” – Brendan Kuty, Yankees staff writer
Required reading
(Photo: Kevin Sousa / USA Today)