Red Sox player fans are glad to see leave: Alex Verdugo
Alex Verdugo was entering the final year of control with the Red Sox and likely would not have been given an extension, so the club capitalized on a trade at the right time. Verdugo played a fine right field at Fenway Park, but his streaky hitting won't be missed.
The 27-year-old was benched twice during the 2023 season for both on-field and off-field incidents, and manager Alex Cora made sure reporters knew that Verdugo was being held accountable. One of the times Verdugo was scratched was for "a lack of hustle," as the issue had been described, which is certainly not anything the 2024 Red Sox need to hear.
Verdugo's tenure with the Sox was overall positive, but underwhelming. He was supposed to be the centerpiece of the Mookie Betts trade to help fans forget about that fateful transactions. Instead, some experiences in 2023 pushed the club to pursue other options for the outfielder.
And if trading Verdugo meant the Sox get a return for his departure as opposed to him leaving in free agency for nothing, not many fans will complain about such a deal. While he played well during his few years in Boston, Red Sox Nation had an easy time saying "goodbye for now" to Verdugo. We'll see him plenty in 2024, though, because he's still in the division as a member of the New York Yankees.