After a brutal end to his 2024 season as the final out of the World Series, Alex Verdugo had an equally grueling offseason.
The former Boston Red Sox outfielder hadn't received a formal major league offer all winter, despite playing for the best team in the American League in 2024. Finally, on March 20, just a week before Opening Day, Verdugo found a home with the Braves.
Verdugo and the Braves agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, first reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The outfielder joins Atlanta after a lackluster offseason from the club and an early postseason elimination in the National League Wild Card round. He'll begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Verdugo, 28, came to the Red Sox organization in 2020 as part of Boston's return in the dreadful Mookie Betts trade with the Dodgers. He slashed .281/.338/.424 over his four seasons in a Sox uniform and became a better defender with time.
Former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo signs with Braves after going without a major league offer all winter
Alex Verdugo to Braves. $1.5M.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 20, 2025
His tenure with the Red Sox wasn't perfectly smooth. Verdugo was twice benched by Sox manager Alex Cora during the 2023 season — once for a perceived lack of effort on the base paths and again for being late to the ballpark before a home game. After that campaign ended, Boston traded the lefty to the Yankees for a set of three pitchers and the Sox won that deal with flying colors.
Verdugo started his tenure in the Yankees organization hot but ultimately posted a down season in the Bronx. He posted a .233/.291/.356 slash line in 149 games, a career-low for a full season of work. He posted a personal best year in the outfield, though, and earned Gold Glove consideration for his left field defense with a 77th-percentile range and 96th-percentile arm value, according to Baseball Savant.
Despite his down year, Verdugo is an eight-year veteran and usually a solid player. He's a career .272/.328/.414 hitter and may find his footing again with the Braves after a warm-up stint in the minor leagues.