Red Sox Make Notable Move By Trading Alex Verdugo To Rival Yankees

In a rare trade between division rivals, the Boston Red Sox made their first major move of the offseason Tuesday night.

The Red Sox traded outfielder Alex Verdugo to the New York Yankees in exchange for multiple pitchers, which was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Verdugo is under contract for one more season and comes off of a season in which he slashed .264/.324/.421 while playing excellent defense for the Red Sox with nine defensive runs saved. Verdugo originally came to Boston in the Mookie Betts deal and started for four years with the Red Sox, helping the ball club reach the American League Championship Series in 2021.

In the return for Boston, New York sends a trio of right-handed pitchers in Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice, per Passan.

Fitts had been the No. 12 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system, going 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts for the Double-A Somerset Patriots. Weissert has made 29 appearances for the Yankees over the last two seasons while Judice was drafted in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB Draft.

The move marks the first major trade between the teams since Boston acquired reliever Adam Ottavino prior to the 2021 season.