The New York Yankees have traded for Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox, with the two rivals completing just their seventh trade in 50 years.
Yankees get the outfielder in exchange for Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice.
And the move is not expected to be the end of Yankee Stadium's hopes of landing Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres.
There were several reports on Tuesday evening that they were still in pursuit of the left-hander.
Yankees desperately need left-handed options and Verdugo is one, but they hope Soto will eventually be another.
New York Yankees traded for Alex Verdugo (right) from the Boston Red Sox late Tuesday
SNY said there are talks between the Padres and Yankees regarding Soto could resume this week after previously reaching a standoff.
The 27-year-old Verdugo is probably better known for how he ended up in Boston than for what he accomplished on the field. He, catcher Connor Wong and infielder Jeter Downs were acquired in the February 2020 deal that sent superstar Mookie Betts and left-hander David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In four years with the Red Sox, Verdugo hit a composite .281 with a .338 on-base percentage, a .424 slugging percentage, 43 home runs and 206 RBIs. He played 142 games in 2023, hitting .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBIs.
If you include his three seasons with the Dodgers, Verdugo has a career batting line of .281/.337/.428 with 57 home runs and 255 RBIs in 651 games.
Primarily a corner outfielder, Verdugo has also seen time in center field. He could be a free agent next season.
Weissert, 28, made 17 relief appearances for the Yankees this year, with no decisions and a 4.05 ERA. He broke into the Majors with 12 games out of the New York bullpen in 2022, when he finished 3-0 with a 5.56 ERA.
Fitts, 23, spent the 2023 season in Double-A, where he went 11-5 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts. He was a 2021 sixth-round draft pick out of Auburn.
The 22-year-old Judice has yet to make his professional debut after New York selected him in the eighth round of the 2023 draft out of UL-Monroe.