The Alex Verdugo trade looks like a smarter move for the Red Sox by the day

Just because you can shave your face now doesn't mean you are good still good as baseball. That should be a phrase plastered inside of Yankee Stadium, better yet, how about in their arch rival team's clubhouse in the Boston Red Sox. It is still early, but it looks as though the Red Sox are going to win the Alex Verdugo trade with the New York Yankees. His clean-shaven face is below average with OPS.

As a man who would never play for the Yankees, mostly because of their outdated facial hair policy, it has been a really challenging last few months for the Bronx Bombers. Aaron Boone still has a job, even though most of the Five Boroughs want to call him "Aaron Buffoon" after whatever the hell he is doing to this team. It is a collective effort of suck, one that Hal Steinbrenner might need to blow up.

When looking at what Verdugo has meant to the Yankees since joining them, his OPS on the season as of Friday night was a sub-par .687. For those who don't understand this newfangled statistical measurement, .700 is roughly league average, whereas if you are approaching 1.000, you are having an MVP-caliber season. Take a look at this graphic featuring Red Sox with better OPS than Verdugo.

Rob Refsnyder, Tyler O'Neill, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela all ... "slap" better.

Outside of O'Neill for St. Louis Cardinals reasons, I never heard of any of these guys until this year. Okay, okay, okay... Did hear of Duran before, but mostly because of his awesome '80s pop surname.

Alex Verdugo is having a no good, very bad time hitting with the Yankees

But for real though, these are the type of moves that can have a massive impact in a rivalry series. At the start of the year, I tabbed the Yankees as one of a few teams who could realistically win the World Series out of the American League. I may have liked the Baltimore Orioles' overall upside a bit more, but I did not foresee a month-long stretch from hell for the Yankees. Atlanta Braves, honestly, same...

What I am getting at is just because it is rarely a good idea to trade a marquee player like Verdugo in-division to a rival squad doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. To me, there is just too much variance and potential downside to be had in such a deal for my stomach. Then again, I am not running the front office of a North American professional sports franchise. It is why those guys get paid the big bucks.

Ultimately, Verdugo is only in his first season with the Yankees. He could have a second half for the ages, helping propel the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series championship since 2009 for all we know. I am not counting on it, but it could happen. The Yankees may be going through it of late, but this is still probably a playoff team. It is all about being one of the six teams in each league getting in.

It is all about playing great baseball at the right time, but the time has not been now for the Yankees.