Red Sox Rumors: Alex Verdugo on Trade Block amid Paxton, Duvall MLB Deadline Buzz

The Boston Red Sox have signaled a willingness to trade outfielder Alex Verdugo ahead of Tuesday's deadline, according to Mass Live's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam.

"A source with another American League team confirmed the Sox inquired as to whether Verdugo would be of interest to them," the report read.

Chad Jennings of The Athletic reported Sunday that Adam Duvall and James Paxton were the subject of trade speculation as well with the Red Sox likely to be in selling mode to some degree.

At 56-49, Boston is fourth in the American League East but just 2.5 games back of the final wild-card spot. Trading Verdugo would present the team with an opportunity to leverage its outfield depth into strengthening another area of the field.

If Verdugo were to go, then Masataka Yoshida could move back to an everyday role in left or right after splitting his time between the field and designated hitter.

Verdugo should have some value as well thanks to his contract status and contributions at the plate. He's batting .272 with a .345 on-base percentage, and he ranks 11th among right fielders in WAR (2.0) at FanGraphs.

The 27-year-old is under team control 2024, so any team acquiring him would know he's more than just a half-season rental.

Dealing Duvall is the most logical way for the Red Sox to break up their outfield logjam since the 34-year-old is due to be a free agent this winter. He's slugging just .408 after returning from a wrist injury, though, which is presumably cooling his market a bit.

Granted, the same can be said of Verdugo, who has a .477 OPS across 19 games in July.

Based on Cotillo and McAdam's report, the Red Sox's inquiries about Verdugo may not have reflected an overwhelming desire to trade him but instead could've been an effort to see whether a team was prepared to make an overwhelming offer.

Absent that, carrying him on the roster through the deadline makes plenty of sense.