"I was hot, I was like, 'Man, they really sent me to the rival?'" - Alex Verdugo admits to being mad at Red Sox over Yankees trade

The New York Yankees acquired Alex Verdugo as part of a trade with the Boston Red Sox earlier in the month. New York sent Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, and Nicholas Judice to Boston for the slugging outfielder.

Verdugo spent the last four seasons with the Red Sox and was part of the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his time in Boston, he hit .281 with 43 home runs.

Initially, when Verdugo learned he was traded to Boston's rivals, he was not happy. He could not wrap his head around why the Red Sox sent him to a team he was supposed to hate.

"I was hot. I was like, 'Man, they really sent me to the rival?'" said Verdugo.

However, after some time passed, Verdugo thought about the opportunity to join the Yankees. He will be alongside Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, and Anthony Rizzo, who have already reached out to him.

"Then I started thinking, having guys reach out-Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rizzo-these guys started reaching out and welcoming me to the team. It just then got me excited" said Verdugo.

Now, Alex Verdugo is excited for a fresh start with a team that has some excitement surrounding them heading into the 2024 season. He cannot wait to get in the building with his teammates and start getting to work.

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The Yankees have improved this offseason with the additions of Alex Verdugo and Juan Soto

San Diego Padres vs San Francisco Giants

The Yankees have been a busy team during the offseason thus far. They have made some moves already and are still in the hunt to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Aside from Alex Verdugo, the Yanks also traded with the San Diego Padres to acquire Juan Soto. Soto is coming off a season where he played in all 162 regular-season games and hit .275/.410/.519 with 35 home runs and a league-leading 132 walks.

Soto is a three-time All-Star and will help relieve the offensive pressure felt by Judge, Stanton, and Rizzo. It is a great addition, but Soto is expected to be a free agent following the 2024 season.

This upcoming season will be important for the Bronx Bombers. Their championship window is open, but with Soto's future unclear, this season will be vital.

The fanbase will not stand for another lackluster season, and they have been clamoring for the team to return to relevancy. It will be interesting to see how well they do during the 2024 season.