Craig Breslow Reveals Red Sox Player Generating Big Trade Interest

With the annual MLB GM meetings kicking off earlier this week in Arizona, trade and free agency rumors have already started flying around.

The Boston Red Sox's new Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, has already hit the ground running. Despite this being his first offseason leading a baseball ops department, he hasn't been afraid to get in the mix and start laying the groundwork for some potential moves.

On Wednesday, Breslow revealed one Red Sox player who's been drawing a lot of interest on the trade market.

Red Sox Trade Rumors

According to Breslow, Boston's already been getting trade calls on outfielder Alex Verdugo.

This is not surprising, as Verdugo is heading into his final year before free agency and is widely expected to be traded this offseason. He was nearly dealt at the trade deadline last summer before Chaim Bloom froze and did nothing.

Verdugo finished out the season in Boston, batting .264/.324/.421 with 37 doubles and a career-high 13 home runs. The trade rumors may have affected his performance, however, as he slumped in the second half after an All-Star-caliber first half.

The 27-year-old graded out as a plus defender in right field last year and was worth 2.6 WAR according to Baseball-Reference, so he's still a valuable player. For a team looking to add a quality outfielder for a year, he's a good option.

Verdugo also stands to benefit from a change of scenery. He's repeatedly clashed with manager Alex Cora over the past several years, getting in trouble for showing up late, not hustling and being out of shape. Cora must be tired of babysitting him by now.

The Red Sox also have a surplus of outfielders right now, making Verdugo expendable.

The offseason has only just begun, but it already seems certain that Verdugo will be dealt at some point.

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