Just in:The Yankees shipped three prospects to Boston in exchange for the outfielder

When the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox conducted business back in 2021 with the famous Adam Ottavino trade, both fanbases were shocked. These two sides hadn’t dealt with a somewhat big-name player switching sides in the rivalry for decades.

Little did we know, that would pave the way for Alex Verdugo to eventually become a member of the Bronx Bombers, as the Sox were offloading payroll this past offseason. The Yankees shipped three prospects to Boston in exchange for the outfielder, and it seemed like Boston was saying, “Here, take our problem, he’s yours now.”

Turns out, the Red Sox were the problem. They never maximized Verdugo. They never surrounded him with the right players. They overvalued him because of the unreasonable expectations that came with the disastrous Mookie Betts trade.

And now Verdugo is loving it in New York, with the early returns highly suggesting the Red Sox lost this trade — not because they’re missing out on Verdugo’s talents, but because they just made their most hated rival that much better.

Could this put a moratorium on future Yankees-Red Sox dealings right after we thought the two sides might be open for business for the foreseeable future?

Alex Verdugo trade might put another ban on future Yankees-Red Sox deals

When the Yankees shipped Ottavino to Boston, it was viewed as a salary dump. And how much could a reliever really tip the scales? We guess if Ottavino became the Red Sox future closer it could’ve hurt a lot, but that wasn’t even close to happening. Instead, Ottavino ended the Sox’s ALCS run by blowing a game against the Astros and he was gone that offseason.

Verdugo might not be in New York beyond 2024, but his impact has been undeniable. He’s given the Yankees an energy they haven’t previously possessed since their 2009 World Series-winning season (Juan Soto’s helped a ton on that front, too). Aaron Judge vouched for Verdugo, asking the front office to make a move for the lefty slugger.

All Verdugo has done — ever since taking a shot at the Red Sox on his way out — is deliver for New York. He’s hitting .275 with an .812 OPS and has become the team’s cleanup hitter, which was a twist we didn’t see coming.

This is the exact type of impact you don’t want a departed trade asset to have with your rival. In all likelihood, the Red Sox were hoping to get the money off their hands and watch Verdugo disrupt the Yankees’ chemistry, which is what some pessimists (including us!) thought would actually transpire.

After six weeks, it’s been anything but that. And if a semblance of this persists and leads to a deep Yankees playoff run, Craig Breslow might have to redirect all of Brian Cashman’s calls to the Fenway Park concessions department.