Rumor has it that the New York Yankees could make a trade with the Boston Red Sox this offseason. The trade rumors are about Yankees' second baseman Gleyber Torres.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, the Red Sox identified Torres as a trade target last year. The Yankees have some interest in Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo. The Red Sox are looking to upgrade
their defense and rotation. Boston has many emerging young outfielders, so there’s a good chance that Verdugo’s time in Boston is up.
However, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said the team isn’t actively shopping for Verdugo.
“His fit is as an everyday right fielder who is playing Gold Glove-caliber defense and can impact the ball on the offensive side, too. We have had some conversations with him,” Breslow said, per Bradford. “It feels like he’s committed to performing his best. Obviously, he’s a guy other teams have reached on given the situation.”
Torres is scheduled to be a free agent next winter. This year, Torres hit .273 with 25 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 90 runs scored. He was one of three finalists for the Silver Slugger Award at second base. Verdugo was a finalist for the American League Gold Glove in right field. However, his offense wasn’t as good as it could have been, and his offensive numbers were lower than what they should have been.
So, should the Yankees and Red Sox make this trade? No, they shouldn’t. Some people in the Rex Sox organization see Torres as a perfect fit. Boston had a varying rotation of second basemen this year. Torres would give them some stability at second base. He would be a good fit for Boston as he would give their defense an upgrade.
Verdugo might not be the best choice for the Yankees, but he would help improve the Yankees outfield. There are concerns surrounding Verdugo, however. Verdugo has a reputation for having lapses in effort and commitment. He was benched twice this past season.
A Torres-Verdugo trade would be a bad trade. The Red Sox would have to send someone else along with Verdugo. The Yankees would lose a good player in Torres and gain a questionable one in Verdugo. Verdugo may be a good player, but he’s not a good fit for the Yankees, and losing Torres might make the Yankees worse instead of getting better.
(Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
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