Late on Tuesday night, the Yankees announced a trade for a lefty outfielder. It wasn’t Juan Soto, or at least not yet as talks remain ongoing as of Wednesday morning and a deal looks likely. It was Alex Verdugo, who came over from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for reliever Greg Weissert and pitching prospects Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.
The Yankees had said all along that they would be looking for two outfielders, preferably left-handed. Verdugo fits that description — even though he is clearly no Soto. Dealing for Verdugo makes sense from a baseball standpoint, but it is a secondary move.