Breaking down the Alex Verdugo trade
The Red Sox have no choice but to be bold. Craig Breslow knows that, and that's why Alex Verdugo is now a Yankee.
Such notions that the Sox couldn't possibly trade a legitimate everyday player to the Yankees - as some still suggested even after multiple conversations between the teams dating back to last trade deadline - needed to be thrown out the window. And worrying about the legacy of whatever return you landed with for future Hall of Famer Mookie Betts couldn't be part of the equation.
The Red Sox have lost the right to think that way. And that's why Verdugo is in pinstripes.
Sure, it would be easier for thirsty Sox fans to stomach such a deal if the return was somebody like Gleyber Torres instead of three pitchers - Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, and Nicholas Judice - who have a combined 29 games of major league experience between them. But we can't be hypocrites, here.
This is about letting Breslow cook.
It's the new Chief Baseball Officer's job to identify players he truly believes in and secure their services. That's what Chaim Bloom did when acquiring Verdugo, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs for Betts. Now it's Breslow's turn.
Now, nobody is going to compare the immediate pain of Verdugo leaving to Betts. For a variety of reasons, as good as a player as the outfielder can be the expectation was that part of the acceptable turnover would probably include moving on from a player heading into his contract year while leaning on the promise of Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and, eventually, Roman Anthony.
But this is the Yankees.
Contract year Verdugo in Yankee Stadium is a win for Brian Cashman. No doubt about it. For the Red Sox, the experience was a roller coaster with the lefty hitter having finished his career in Boston hitting .281 with a .763 OPS and 44 home runs, with the Sox going 250-254 in games he appeared. The guess is that the Yankees will be getting the best version of the now 27-year-old.
So be it. The Red Sox are simply in no position to worry about the other guy. Once again, focus on who you are getting more than who you are giving up. That should be the mantra, particularly when you're in the position the Sox find themselves.
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The Blue Jays might get Shohei Ohtani. The Orioles are building a model franchise. The Rays are the Rays (expect in the postseason). And the Yankees are seemingly on the cusp of being the shock-and-awe Yankees. Will the trio of Fitts, Weissert and Judice put a dent in any of that. Nope. But that's not the point.
The Red Sox have lost the right to worry about anybody but themselves. And that was the reality that was put on display in this deal Tuesday.
So, with all of that said, how can the Red Sox followers stomach this in the short-term? For starters, while we still don't have a great handle on Breslow as a chief decision-maker, we can lean on his track record with identifying the right kind of pitching during his time with the Cubs. That's what makes the inclusion of Fitts so intriguing.
A sixth-round pick in 2021, the former Auburn University product was good enough to win Eastern League (AA) Pitcher of the Year last season after totaling an 11-5 mark with a 3.48 ERA over 27 starts. The righty looks the part, standing at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds with a 9.6 strikeouts-per-nine innings ratio on his 2023 resume. Eastern League managers rated Fitts as having the best control of any pitcher the EL, according to Baseball America.
According to MLB Pipeline, Fitts slots in as the Red Sox' No. 10 overall prospect, and second-highest-ranked pitcher behind Wikelman Gonzalez (No. 9).
This was Breslow's guy. Now we sit back and wait to see who else will fall under that umbrella, and then - as was the case with Bloom - we judge.
Watching Verdugo in New York will undoubtedly sometimes sting. But you know what would hurt more? Pushing aside conviction and being paralyzed by archaic bumper sticker rivalries.