The New York Yankees have traded for outfielder Alex Verdugo. In return, they gave the Boston Red Sox Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, and Nicholas Judice.
Last season, Verdugo batted .264/.324/.421 out of 62 plate appearances for the Red Sox. He had 144 hits, 54 runs batted in, and 13 home runs. However, manager Alex Cora benched him in June due to subpar effort during a loss against the Cleveland Guardians.
Verdugo started his Major League Baseball career when the Los Angeles Dodgers promoted him in 2017. He only had 25 plate appearances that season, finishing with four hits and a home run. The Arizona native played for the Dodgers until 2019.
The following year, the Dodgers traded him, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs to the Boston Red Sox for David Price, Mookie Betts, and cash considerations. While that transaction helped the Dodgers win the 2020 World Series, Verdugo had a breakout season with Boston.
He batted career highs of .308/.367/.478 in 201 at-bats, collecting 62 hits, 15 RBIs, and six home runs. Those numbers earned him votes for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Aside from being an outfielder, Verdugo also spent four games as designated hitter.
In 2023, Verdugo signed a one-year, $6.3 million deal with the Red Sox, avoiding arbitration. He is estimated to make $9 million in his final season of arbitration. This year, he will join the Yankees outfield crew featuring Jake Bauers, Aaron Judge, Harrison Bader, Greg Allen, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Meanwhile, as ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan tweeted, trading for Alex Verdugo won’t stop the Yankees from trading for Juan Soto. There have been discussions about the next destination for the San Diego Padres outfielder, with the Yankees being one of the strong contenders. Could Verdugo be the key to bringing Soto to The Bronx?
-Lance Fernandez