Yankees Reportedly Showing Interest In Red Sox Slugger After Strong Season

Boston has an excess of left-handed hitting outfielders

Scott Neville | Nov 9, 2023

Yankees Reportedly Showing Interest In Red Sox Slugger After Strong Season /

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Boston Red Sox

Would the Boston Red Sox trade away one of their best players to the rival New York Yankees?

Time will tell. But it appears that the Yankees have interest in making a deal happen and the Red Sox are open to offers.

"Red Sox may not be actively shopping outfielder Alex Verdugo, there is indeed interest from other clubs as reported by (The Boston Globe's Pete Abraham and others," Beyond The Monster's Chris Henrique wrote Wednesday. "One team to continue to keep an eye on for Verdugo is the Yankees, per source."

MassLive's Sean McAdam made a similar claim as he's heard New York could make a run for Verdugo.

Verdugo has been the center of Boston's trade rumors since the Major League Baseball trade deadline and speculation continues to grow.

The 27-year-old hit .264 with 55 extra-base hits including 13 home runs, 54 RBIs and a .745 OPS in 142 games. He also logged one out above average and nine defensive runs saved in the extremely difficult Fenway Park right field. He was nominated for an American League Gold Glove award by fell to Texas Rangers' Adolis García.

Verdugo has just one year left on his deal and as of season's end, the Red Sox had not inquired about an extension. If they were to deal the eccentric outfielder, it should be for an MLB-ready starting pitcher.

The Yankees have some enticing pitching prospects but are not exactly the perfect trade partner. It would probably make more sense to contact the Cleveland Guardians about Shane Bieber or the Milwaukee Brewers about Corbin Burnes -- two teams that have offensive deficiencies.

Trading Verdugo in the division would make little sense since Boston should not have to. It's also not necessarily smart to trade Verdugo at all. He's arguably the most complete player on the roster and a part of the current core.

If a deal is going to be made, sending him to the other side of Boston's historic rival is not the answer.

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Published Nov 9, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu