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Ex-Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo admitted earlier this week he was "hot" when they traded him to the New York Yankees.
Verdugo was sent to the Bronx earlier this month, but he had a hard time coming to terms with being traded to Boston's despised rival.
However, Verdugo started to move on relatively quickly when he started reminiscing about his final season with the Sox, which wasn't a particularly good one.
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Alex Verdugo of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his walk-off, RBI single during the ninth inning of a game against the Cleveland Indians Sept. 4, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Verdugo and Red Sox manager Alex Cora aired out their grievances with one another this week. Verdugo was benched for lack of hustle and showing up late for a game, and Verdugo took a jab at his former manager while praising his new skipper, Aaron Boone.
"I’m very, very excited to work with Aaron. I’ve seen the way he has his players’ backs," Verdugo told New York reporters earlier this week. "That’s one thing I want to see out of my head coach. I want to see some fire, some fight for the guys. I think, just instead of airing people out, have their backs."
That clip made the rounds on social media, and ex-Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon caught wind of it.
Papelbon made his displeasure known.
"Verdugo I mean Vertigo is a b-----.," Papelbon posted to X, formerly Twitter. "Cora has his players and teammates backs more than anyone in the game. You aired yourself out by being late, lazy and unproductive.
Former Red Sox pitcher Jonathan Papelbon gets ready to throw out the first pitch before Game 3 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park Oct. 18, 2021, in Boston. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
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"If I played for Cora I’m drilling this b----, just saying."
Verdugo said several Yankees stars reached out to him shortly after the trade, and he's now bought in, having shaved "right away just so I can feel like I'm in it."
"Fresh start, it feels good," Verdugo added.
Alex Verdugo of the Boston Red Sox, right, is welcomed to the dugout by Justin Turner (2) after scoring on a ground rule double by Triston Casas in the fifth inning of the second game of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees June 18, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
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Verdugo had a .264/.324/.421 line in 142 games with the Sox last season. For his career, he is a .281/.337/.428 hitter with 152 doubles, 57 homers and 255 RBIs in 651 games.
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