Alex Verdugo Trade Marks Rare Occasion For Red Sox, Yankees

Trading with a sworn enemy is an activity the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees hardly ever partake in.

But the two archrivals got together to pull off a trade Tuesday night with the Red Sox sending Alex Verdugo to the Yankees in exchange for right-handed pitchers Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.

It’s a strange sight on paper to see the Red Sox and Yankees doing business together and it almost never feels right given the long and storied history between the two illustrious franchises.

But just how rare is it that the two sides come together and strike a deal?

The deal of Verdugo marks just the eighth time the Red Sox and Yankees have orchestrated a trade with one another since 1969, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan. It’s also just the second time this century that Boston and New York have done a deal involving major leaguers — the two swapped minor leaguers earlier this year.

Nothing will ever top the Red Sox sending Babe Ruth to the Yankees for practically nothing, unless Verudgo somehow helps start the next Yankees dynasty. But that’s far-fetched since Verdugo actually might not be long for New York.

It wouldn’t be the first time one of the sides uses a piece in a trade to complete another deal. Boston landed Tony Armas Jr. from the Yankees in 1997 and four months later, Armas was headed to the Montreal Expos as the player to be named later to secure Pedro Martinez.

The Red Sox and Yankees made a deal in 1986 that benefitted both sides with Boston obtaining Don Baylor and New York receiving Mike Easler. Baylor was fantastic for the Red Sox in ’86, belting 31 home runs and recording 94 RBIs as Boston made a run to the World Series. Easler was productive with the Yankees, batting .302 with 14 homers.

It obviously remains to be seen what kind of deal Verdugo to the Yankees will turn out being, but it is already a part of history due to the rarity of its nature.