The Red Sox and Yankees have arguably the biggest rivalry in all of Major League Baseball. But, that won’t stop them from making deals with one another. The Yankees acquired Alex Verdugo via trade from the Sox, in a deal that saw New York give up three pitchers for the 27-year-old. Here’s a closer look at the trade that sent Alex Verdugo to the Yankees.
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The Yankees’ Return
- OF Alex Verdugo (.264/.324/.421 with 13 HR and 55 XBH over 142 G)
The Red Sox acquired Alex Verdugo almost four full years ago in the Mookie Betts trade. The 27-year-old was by far the most productive player that Boston received from that deal.
Verdugo got off to a roaring start in Boston back in 2020 when he hit .308/.367/.478 with six home runs and an. 844 OPS. He finished twelfth in the AL MVP voting that year.
Over the last three seasons, Verdugo was a very steady contributor for the Red Sox. The new Yankee hit .278/.334/.417 over 440 games and double-digit home run campaigns from 2021-23.
The 27-year-old is one of the better contact hitters in the game, as he ranked in the top 20 of the league in K% (15.4%) and had the ninth-best Whiff% rate (15.6%) among qualified hitters. Not to mention, he’s also routinely sported above-average chase rates.
A left-handed hitter, Verdugo doesn’t offer plus power. However, he is a line-drive hitter who can barrel up balls, take them to all fields, and drive them with authority from time to time.
Defensively, Verdugo does have some experience — 118 MLB games, to be exact — in center field. However, he hasn’t played in center since 2021, as he’s moved between left and right for most of his career. Verdugo does have above-average arm strength, per Statcast.
The Red Sox’s Return
- RP Greg Weissert (4.05 ERA, 22 K over 20 IP)
- SP Richard Fitts (163 K, 3.48 ERA over 152.2 IP (AA))
- RP Nicholas Judice (134 K, 51 BB, 5.51 ERA over four seasons with Louisiana Monroe (NCAA))
Just one of the three pieces acquired by the Red Sox has played in the Majors to this point. That individual would be former New York native and former Fordham right-hander Greg Weissert.
Weissert found his groove in what was a deep Yankees bullpen this past season when he struck out 22 over 20 innings and posted a 50% GB% rate.
The 27-year-old works with both a sinker and four-seamer, along with the cutter and sweeper. He’s a tricky reliever to pick up, thanks in part to the low release point that gives his four-seamer — which he threw more in 2023 — a bit of deception.
However, the big piece to this deal is Richard Fitts. Fitts, who ranked #12 in MLB.com‘s Yankees prospect ratings, was a former sixth-round pick who’s performed very well in his MiLB career. This past season, Fitts struck out 163 over 152.2 IP and opposing hitters batted .227 against him in Double-A.
Fitts showed a lot of promise in the Minors. The righty showed good command of the fastball, along with a feel for the slider.
The third piece to the Verdugo deal is former University of Louisiana at Monroe right-hander Nicholas Judice. An eighth-round pick this past July, Judice pitched primarily out of the bullpen in college. He sported a high K/9 rate of 10.5, but a less-than-stellar 4.0 BB/9 in his collegiate career.
Analysis
The Yankees needed outfielders, preferably left-handed bats. The Yankees are a right-handed hitting heavy team, thanks to the likes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, DJ LeMahieu, and Anthony Volpe, among others.
The trade for Alex Verdugo does give the Yankees an upgrade from what they were working with last year from an offensive perspective. And, he can play all three positions in the outfield. Although, his fringe-average speed does make him a better fit in the corners.
The question now becomes what does New York do next. The Yankees have been reportedly in on Juan Soto, but conversations have supposedly cooled.
Could the Yankees pivot and target Cody Bellinger, who can play center and do so very well? Or, will New York continue to target Soto, which would likely push Verdugo to center?
As for the Red Sox, Boston had a decision to make with Verdugo this offseason. The 27-year-old was a logical trade candidate, given that Verdugo is a year away from free agency and the Sox had several left-handed outfielders that performed well in 2023.
Masataka Yoshida was as advertised, while Jarren Duran cemented himself as an everyday player. Former Astros farmhand Wilyer Abreu also showed what he could do in 2023 when he posted a .862 OPS over 28 games.
Between those three and utilityman Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston had the maneuverability to move Verdugo to bolster the farm or add pieces to the MLB roster. Boston did both.