Alex Cora discussed Alex Verdugo heading to the Yankees, and how the trade fits Red Sox priorities

“We got three good arms,” he said of Boston’s acquisition of right-handed pitchers Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts, and Nicholas Judice. “We’re very happy with the return.”

The centerpiece of the deal was Verdugo, the 27-year-old outfielder who hit .264 with a .745 OPS in 142 games for Boston during the 2023 season.

Cora, who benched Verdugo twice during the past season, had only kind things to say following the trade.

“Obviously Alex is a complete player,” Cora said of Verdugo. “We know he’s a good defender, a good hitter, probably he fits Yankee Stadium.”

Still, Cora quickly steered the conversation back to his own team.

“You cannot worry about the opposition, right?” he explained. “It’s about what is going to make you better as an organization.”

From that standpoint, Cora cited Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow — both of whom are former pitchers and were installed in their new roles earlier in the offseason — as indicators of what the team’s priorities will be.

“We got three capable guys,” Cora said of the pitchers. “We’ve got a lot of good position players. The part that we need to get stronger is the pitching side of it. With Craig and obviously Andrew, I think that’s the way we’re going to attack the offseason, keep getting better in that aspect.”

A focus on pitching could also provide a chance for younger position players to break into the lineup.

“It opens up the window for [Wilyer] Abreu, for [Jurran] Duran to [Cedanne] Rafaela to step up in spring training and try to win the job,” said Cora.