Verdugo will soon have a spot in a group of players that’s even more limited, though. He went directly from Boston to the Bronx — the outfielder was acquired by the Yankees in a trade for three minor-league pitchers in December.
While Verdugo has already made it clear that he’s relishing the opportunity to start ’with the Yankees, his transition will still be a challenge.
Johnny Damon went through the same move when he signed with the Yankees after the 2005 season. He thinks Verdugo will be OK as long as he performs well and doesn’t pay attention to the noise.
“At least he got traded!” Damon said Saturday during an autograph signing at American Dream mall in New Jersey. “I was a free agent and a lot of Red Sox fans weren’t happy with me. I wasn’t happy that the Red Sox didn’t try to bring me back, but it’s a tough move.”
Verdugo’s four-year career in Boston didn’t end on great terms. The outfielder was benched multiple times during his final year with the Red Sox, once for not hustling and a second time for showing up late to the ballpark. Many consider the trade a win for the Red Sox purely because they got rid of a negative clubhouse presence, a player with a not-so-sparkling reputation around the game
Yankees fans also hated Verdugo up until the day he was acquired. The same goes for Damon, who was a Yankee killer and a big part of Boston’s streak-busting World Series run in 2004.
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