The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees don't often make trades. The exchange that sent Alex Verdugo from Boston to New York before the 2024 season will live on as one of the few in their histories.
Verdugo arrived in Boston from the Los Angeles Dodgers as one of its returns in the Mookie Betts trade, which became an even more spectacular failure after his tenure with the Sox didn't work out. But trading the outfielder to the Yankees helped the Red Sox get at least a little bit more out of the Betts deal.
The Sox received three pitchers from the Yankees in exchange for Verdugo — Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice. Boston's pitching development has been notoriously poor under previous front offices, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow transformed it rather quickly in the trade market and through the MLB Draft.
One year after the Verdugo trade, the Yankees could use some of the depth they sent to Boston. Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery on March 11 and will be out for the season, and Luis Gil is battling a lat strain that will have him sidelined for nearly three months.
The Yankees could use top Red Sox pitching prospect Richard Fitts in their rotation after injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil
Fitts is the Red Sox's No. 14 prospect, but he'd be much higher in the Yankees' far weaker farm system. The righty posted a 4.17 ERA with 111 strikeouts and 37 walks over 116.2 innings with the WooSox last season. He only improved when he made his major league debut on Sept. 8. Fitts clocked a 1.74 ERA over four starts for the Red Sox last year and Alex Cora has already said he's an option to fill in for Brayan Bello in the starting rotation due to his injuries that will keep him on the IL for a short time at the beginning of the season.
Marcus Stroman was initially supposed to begin the season in New York's bullpen, but he's had to move back into the rotation after a middling 2024 season (4.31 ERA, 113 strikeouts, 154.2 innings). Replacing Cole's production will be a tall task for the Yankees, especially with their lack of starting pitching depth.
Not only could Fitts have gone a long way toward replacing Cole in the Yankees' rotation, but they didn't get the best production out of Verdugo last year. He posted a career-low .233/.291/.356 and .647 OPS in 149 games. His defense improved with New York and he was a Gold Glove finalist in 2024, but Yankees fans will more likely remember him as the final out of the 2024 World Series instead of his defensive prowess.
If Verdugo's tenure in New York didn't already confirm it, the injury to Cole ensures the Red Sox's win in the Verdugo trade. Boston's injured starters don't match up to Cole in terms of production, but its losses hurt less because of its newly acquired rotation depth. Without Fitts in their farm system, the Yankees will have to turn to prospect Will Warren (5.91 ERA in Triple-A last year) or the trade market to field a full, five-man rotation as the Red Sox take their pick of depth starters for their Opening Day roster.