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The Boston Red Sox have been in a strange spot throughout the entire process leading up to the MLB trade deadline, and with the deadline now here, not much has changed. Boston has a 56-50 record, and is currently just 2.5 games out of the final American League wild card spot. The problem is that the front office cannot decide if they want to buy or sell at the deadline.
To this point, Boston has made a few smaller moves, with their biggest move being to send Enrique Hernandez back to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for a pair of pitching prospects. Rumors coming out on the Red Sox are all over the place, and with the deadline now upon us, they could conceivably still be a buyer, seller, or both.
One rumor that has popped up from seemingly out of nowhere is that Boston is looking to move Alex Verdugo in exchange for a controllable starting pitcher, and with the deadline hours away, it seems like the move most likely to happen. The cat is already out of the bag, and at this point, dealing Verdugo may just be the move that the Sox have to make in order to have success in the future.
Red Sox last minute trade: Move on from Alex Verdugo
Verdugo had a blazing hot start to the season for Boston, and looked set to bounce back from what was a disappointing 2022 campaign. Instead, with the deadline pretty much here, Verdugo's numbers look eerily similar to last years (.272 BA, 7 HR, 39 RBI, .766 OPS). Verdugo is a starting-caliber outfielder, but anything beyond that at this point doesn't seem to be true.
Even entering the month of July, Verdugo's batting average on the season sat at .301, but he suddenly went ice cold in July, and finished the month with some grotesque stats (.151 BA, 2 HR, 7 RBI, .478 OPS). Verdugo was practically unplayable, and he has quickly become the most-likely trade candidate on Boston's roster.
For Boston, playing Verdugo, who is supposed to be their best outfielder, has been an impossible struggle. Jarren Duran has continued to be a revelation this season, Masataka Yoshida has been the Sox most consistent hitter, and Adam Duvall is finally finding his swing after a cold spell in his return from the injured list. There isn't really room for Verdugo if he keeps playing like this.
The front office's desire to move Verdugo in exchange for a starting pitcher in a similar contract situation as him makes sense, it just may not necessarily be attainable. Verdugo has All-Star potential, but to this point, he has shown no ability to come close to reaching that potential. And right now, he's not playing well enough to justify starting on an everyday basis.
With the rumors floating around for some time now, and Verdugo himself even acknowledging them, it seems like it's time for these two sides to split. Verdugo knows the pressure is mounting on him with the Red Sox hoard of outfielders, and he's not exactly responding well to that pressure.
The good news is that Verdugo can still likely net a decent return. He's not a great player, but he's a good player who is still just 27 years old and has potential that could be tapped into. He is under team control for another year, which gives him one more shot to prove that he is worth a big money deal, and that is going to be attractive to teams looking for an outfielder.
Finding the proper return for Verdugo is where things get a bit hairy, and that could be what prevents him from getting dealt. Boston desperately needs starting pitching help, and while picking some up in exchange for Verdugo sounds good in concept, actually doing so is going to be easier said than done. A guy like old friend Eduardo Rodriguez will likely require more than Verdugo to get a deal done.
But at this point, unloading Verdugo should be the prime goal. He's slumping, and there seems to be a disconnect between him and the team. With these rumors being public knowledge, and the team clearly trying to trade him, there's a decent chance that things won't be great between the player and club if he ends up sticking around.
Moving Verdugo is the best option for all parties involved at this point, and while it's surprising how quickly this situation has snowballed over the past few days, there's really no going back now. Verdugo needs to be dealt, because keeping him around after all that has happened could hurt the team more by simply having him on the roster than trading him for a lesser return.
