Red Sox Legend Jonathan Papelbon Goes After Yankees' Alex Verdugo on Social Media

The bad blood between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees is still flowing.

The two bitter rivals made a rare trade earlier this month, with outfielder Alex Verdugo getting shipped from Beantown to the Bronx. The Red Sox got a few pitching prospects in return, while the Yankees got another bat to round out their star-studded lineup.

Verdugo's final season Boston wasn't exactly a pleasant affair, considering he was benched by manager Alex Cora and routinely critiqued by the local media. Now, Verdugo will be playing under Aaron Boone in New York, which he said he is looking forward to during a recent interview.

"That's something I wanna see out of my head coach, man – I wanna see some fire, some fight for the guys," Verdugo said. "I think, just instead of airing people out, have their backs. I'm really excited for this fresh start just to kinda get with the guys and really just change the narrative, man. Go out there, play hard, work hard, just have fun, and that's the biggest thing."

Once that clip made its way into Red Sox circles online, Verdugo was put on blast.

Jonathan Papelbon – who will be inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2024 – went as far as anyone, going on an expletive-ridden rant about Verdugo and his work ethic. The now-retired reliever even suggested intentionally hitting Verdugo with a pitch.

"Verdugo I mean Vertigo is a B*tch. Cora has his players and teammates backs more than anyone in the game. You aired yourself out by being late, lazy and unproductive. If I played for Cora I’m drilling this b*tch, just saying."

Verdugo I mean Vertigo is a Bitch. Cora has his players and teammates backs more than anyone in the game. You aired yourself out by being late, lazy and unproductive. If I played for Cora I’m drilling this bitch, just saying. https://t.co/ucNzJoXdw1
— Jonathan Papelbon (@TheRealJPap58) December 22, 2023

The six-time All-Star closer pitched for the Red Sox from 2005 to 2011. Papelbon was notably teammates with Cora from 2005 to 2008.

Verdugo spent four years in Boston, racking up an 8.2 WAR in that time. Despite being an everyday player through his entire tenure, fans did not believe Verdugo lived up to being the centerpiece of the Mookie Betts trade in 2020.

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