Yanks Get LH Outfielder!

December 5, 2023

***

Alex Verdugo is a Yankee.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/v/verdual01.shtml

*** From MLBTR:

"The Yankees and Red Sox have lined up on a rare major trade. New York is acquiring Alex Verdugo for reliever Greg Weissert and prospects Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN (X link)."

My Take: Quickly...

(I was just at Montclair University to see the Yogi Berra film, It Ain't Over. It is an amazing film!)

I like this deal.

Verdugo is good. He bats lefty. He has some pop and should hit more homers in Yankee Stadium. He is a lifetime .284 hitter.

It's a solid move. It gives them depth. It makes trading some outfield depth a little easier.

Right now, he slots in as the left fielder. He's a solid addition acquired for nothing more than some pitching depth.

One aspect of the best Yankees teams was they had depth. Real depth. Quality players on the bench. It is my hope that Juan Soto will be acquired. Verdugo would then be a bench player who could fake it in centerfield on occasion. (My goodness, at least he is an outfielder, not like some players the Yankees tried out there last year.)

There's also the hope that the 28-year-old Verdugo (in 2024) has a contract year explosion - as many players tend to before they hit free agency.

The Yankees acquired a player without giving up any important pieces. AS A FIRST STEP, this is a good deal. The left fielder in 2024 is already an improvement over 2023, but again, I see this as a depth move. I also believe that there is a possibility that he gets flipped in another trade...

If this is instead of Juan Soto, it's a disaster of a move.

(What is it with the Yankees and left-handed Red Sox outfielders: Johnny Damon, Jacoby Ellsbury, now Alex Verdugo?)