In order to address a pressing need, the New York Yankees struck a deal with their version of the devil.
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On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan broke the news on X that the Boston Red Sox were trading outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees, in exchange for right-handed pitching prospects Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.
News at ESPN, free and unlocked: The Yankees and Red Sox make only their seventh trade in the last half-century, with Alex Verdugo going to New York and right-handed pitching prospects Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice headed to the Red Sox. https://t.co/QhyRBjkIA3
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 6, 2023
Although the Yankees did need to secure an outfielder during the ongoing MLB winter meetings, most were expecting them to make a major push for Juan Soto (whom they're still very much in the market for). This Verdugo trade came out of nowhere — especially considering that, as Passan noted, this is just the seventh time in the last 50 years that the AL East archrivals completed a trade.
The last trade between New York and Boston took place in 2021, when the Red Sox acquired relief pitcher Adam Ottavino from the Yankees. Before that, the last deal between these two teams was in 2014, when veteran infielders Kelly Johnson and Stephen Drew swapped squads.
If you're looking for the last time Boston and New York did business before 2014, you'd have to head all the way back to 1997. Prior to that, these teams conducted trades in 1994, 1986 and 1972. Clearly, these rivals are only willing to work together out of sheer necessity, which adding Verdugo was for the Yankees.
In addition to being an outfielder — a position where the Yankees were thin during 2023, especially when Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton were injured — Verdugo (who hit .264 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 142 games last season) is also a left-handed hitter. Since Yankee Stadium is infamous for its short porch in right field, having left-handed hitters in New York's lineup is imperative to its success.
The Yankees do still have Anthony Rizzo, who is one of the MLB's premier left-handed power hitters. Yet Rizzo only played in 99 games last season, after battling concussion-related issues. He hit .244 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs while posting a .328 on-base percentage in those games played. If the Yankees are to expect success next season, they'll need more out of left-handed bats.
Enter Verdugo.
While it's surprising that the Red Sox were willing to help their nemesis bolster their lineup, getting three solid right-handed pitching prospects in return for Verdugo will serve them well next season. Therefore, this trade appears to be a win-win — for now.
That being said, don't expect these teams to strike another deal anytime soon.
