In rare Yankees-Red Sox trade, OF Verdugo goes to New York

into the trade.

“I didn’t get into that stuff with Alex that much,” Boone said. “But we hear those things from across the way and stuff, so I’m not overly concerned about that.”

A seven-year major league veteran, Verdugo has a .281 career batting average with 57 homers and 255 RBIs with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Red Sox.

Selected by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2014 amateur draft, Verdugo was acquired by Boston with infielder Jeter Downs and catcher/ second baseman Connor Wong in the February 2020 trade that sent slugger Mookie Betts and pitcher David Price to the Dodgers.

Verdugo is eligible for arbitration and is likely to get a salary of about $9 million. He can become a free agent after the World Series.

“He’s a guy who takes a lot of pride in posting,” Boone said Cora told him.

Aaron Judge could move from right and become the regular center fielder.

“We’ll see how everything shakes out this winter,” Boone said. “I’ve talked to Aaron about that. So I think Aaron’s open to anything and ready for anything.”

It was just the eighth trade between the teams since Major League Baseball split into divisions in 1969. The Yankees obtained outfielder Greg Allen from Boston in May for right-hander

Diego Hernández.

The most notable deals involved the Yankees’ 1919 purchase of Babe Ruth, New York getting pitcher Sparky Lyle in 1972 for first baseman Danny Cater and infielder Mario Guerrero, and Boston receiving Elston Howard — the Yankees’ first Black player and the 1963 AL MVP — in 1967 for pitchers Ron Klimkowski and Pete Magrini.

Weissert, a 28-year-old right-hander who attended Fordham, not far from Yankee Stadium, had a 4.05 ERA in 17 relief appearances over five stints with New York last season. He struck out 22 and walked eight in 20 innings. His fastball averaged 94.3 mph.

Fitts, 23, was a sixthround pick from Auburn in the 2021 amateur draft and was 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts this year at Double-A Somerset. He struck out 163 and walked 43 in 152 innings.

Judice, 22, was an eighth-round pick last summer from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and has not made his minor league debut yet.

Boone expects “a leaner” Giancarlo Stanton at spring training. The five-time All-Star hit a career-low .191 with 24 homers and 60 RBIs. “Being at this point in his career, I think being a little lighter is going to be something that serves him well and I think it’s something he knows and wants to do.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While the Yankees didn’t have any scheduled media availability at the Winter Meetings on Monday, assistant general manager Michael Fishman answered a few questions regarding the team’s analytics department.

Fishman, previously the club’s director of quantitative analysis, has come under scrutiny recently, as there is a perception that the Yankees are too reliant on data. The organization has combatted that narrative this offseason, with the most notable example coming in the form of Brian Cashman’s fiery media scrum at the GM Meetings in early November.

“I appreciate that,” Fishman said when asked about Cashman’s defense of the analytics department, though he understands the public criticism. “He recognizes the work the analytics department has done. I think he understands that the analytics department has created a lot of really good information, tools and recommendations over the years.”

However, Yankees past and present — including Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Zack Britton — have discussed how the team needs to do a better job at using, understanding and communicating analytics. Judge went as far as to say that the organization “might be looking at the wrong” numbers at the end of the season, which saw the Yankees miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. He also suggested that the Yankees need “a better process” when relaying information to younger players.

Britton, who just retired, recently told the New York Post’s “The Show” podcast that, “There was this disconnect between some of the things we were presented with and what we were seeing on the field.”

“That’s something we’re discussing and looking at,” Fishman said of improving analytical communication with players. “I think we welcome the feedback. We’ve had discussions