MLB Rumors: What Alex Verdugo trade means for Yankees and Juan Soto

The MLB Winter Meetings have been relatively quiet for the most part, but there was a big trade that shocked the baseball world on Tuesday night.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported that the New York Yankees acquired outfielder Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for right-handed pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, and Nicholas Judice. This was a surprising move, to say the least, considering the Yankees and Red Sox have a longstanding, heated rivalry.

Yankees fans were puzzled by the move because the team has been heavily linked to San Diego Padres outfielder Juan Soto. The two sides were at a stalemate over a potential package to facilitate a trade, but the belief was that they would come back to it again to try and come up with a deal. So, Yankees fans panicked about whether this move would take them out of the Soto sweepstakes, especially after YES Network's Jack Curry reported minutes earlier that the Yankees were trying to get a deal done.

So, what does this mean for Verdugo and the Yankees' pursuit of Soto?

Could Alex Verdugo be part of trade that brings Juan Soto to Yankees

Former MLB general manager and writer for The Athletic, Jim Bowden, tweeted "don't be surprised" if the Yankees try to include Verdugo in a package with starting pitcher Michael King and pitching prospect Drew Thorpe to land Soto.

A report from SNY's Andy Martino revealed that the Yankees were apprehensive about surrendering King in a deal because they valued him so highly.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman addressed those reports, saying that after the year they had in 2023, there would be "very few untouchables," but said that they value King "a lot."

The Yankees do have a need for left-handed bats, and Verdugo does provide that if they do keep him. But he also had disciplinary issues with the Red Sox, where he was notably benched by manager Alex Cora for lack of hustle around the basepaths in a game this past August.

Verdugo recorded a .264 batting average, a .324 on-base percentage, a .421 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, 54 RBI, 81 runs, 144 hits, 93 strikeouts, and 45 walks in 546 at-bats (142 games).

Regardless if they keep Verdugo or not, the belief is that this doesn't take the Yankees out of the Soto sweepstakes, per Passan and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.

So, Verdugo is a Yankee. We'll see if that remains the case entering spring training, or if he will ultimately be dealt elsewhere.