Alex Verdugo’s time with the Yankees was a bit of a rollercoaster—flashes of brilliance, a solid presence in the clubhouse, but ultimately, a second-half slump that left his future in limbo. It’s surprising that no team has scooped him up yet. For a brief moment, there were whispers that the Pirates might make a move, but that chatter quickly fizzled. And now? He’s still waiting, still trying to work his way back to the majors.
Could the Yankees take another look? It seems unlikely, but stranger things have happened. If they’re looking for a bat to take some pressure off Giancarlo Stanton, Verdugo’s name should at least be in the conversation. At the end of last season, Verdugo was candid about his struggles, acknowledging that 2024 wasn’t his best showing at the plate:
“I know it wasn’t my best personal year on offense... I think there would be [the possibility] that maybe one day we can come back—if it’s not next year, maybe it’s another year. But I would like to come back and just show the type of player that I really am. I think we’ve seen it defensively, seen it at times offensively, but I’m usually a lot more consistent.”
Verdugo isn’t wrong. His defense was solid, with Fangraphs crediting him with a plus-seven defensive runs saved mark. But offensively, he struggled down the stretch. In the post season, he managed just a .208 average (10-for-48) and struck out to end Game 5 of the World Series. As Matt Ehalt of the New York Post put it:
“The Yankees, though, kept giving Verdugo chance after chance, and he started all 14 postseason games, batting .208 (10-for-48) and striking out to end Game 5 of the World Series. While his bat disappointed, Verdugo did provide above-average defense... A reunion with the Yankees has not been in the cards.”
But in today’s league, is a .208 postseason average really that bad? The White Sox just signed Joey Gallo, a guy with a career batting average hovering around .194, to a new deal. So, there has to be room for Verdugo somewhere, right?
Whether it’s a minor league deal or a late spring training signing, Verdugo deserves another shot. He’s still a major league player, still a guy who brings value, and by all accounts, a great teammate. That’s got to count for something, doesn’t it?
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