Red Sox: 3 moves Craig Breslow can make now that Alex Verdugo is gone

On Tuesday night, the Boston Red Sox made a shocking trade with their archrivals the New York Yankees, sending outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Bronx in exchange for right-handers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice.

Now, suddenly, the Red Sox find themselves with a hole in their outfield that must be filled for 2024. Masataka Yoshida and Jarren Duran figure to be starters in the outfield next season. But with Verdugo gone, Boston is going to need to dive into either the trade market or the free agent market.

Here are three moves Craig Breslow can make to compensate for the loss of Verdugo.

3. Sign Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had a solid season with the Arizona Diamondbacks and even helped them reach their first World Series since 2001.

He hit for a .261 average with 24 home runs, 82 RBI, and a .772 OPS. The former All-Star is now a free agent.

Interestingly enough, Gurriel is somebody who could find himself in the Red Sox plans for 2024. According to Jon Morosi, the Red Sox do have an interest in Gurriel.

As Morosi notes, the Red Sox opened up some at-bats in their outfield with the Verdugo trade. Signing somebody like Gurriel could give them a little more clarity in the outfield with Verdugo now gone.

He possesses power and defensive versatility. He can play left field but also can be used as a shortstop and a second baseman if anything goes wrong with the infield.

But Boston could use an everyday left fielder. This might allow Masataka Yoshida over to right field. Boston would then have Rob Refsnyder or Bobby Dalbec as their fourth outfielder for 2024.

Gurriel also brings a veteran presence to a team with a crop of young talent ready to help the Red Sox and ignite hope for the future.