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Alex Verdugo

Braves Sign Alex Verdugo

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The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. With Opening Day just a week away, he consented to be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to ramp up. (Players gain the right to refuse an optional assignment once they accrue five years of MLB service.) Verdugo is represented by MVP Sports Group.

Just days ago, The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reported that Verdugo had yet to receive a formal big league offer in free agency. That turned quickly. He’ll head straight to minor league camp and spend a bit of time in Gwinnett while he makes up for missing most of spring training, but he’ll be an option for Atlanta at some point in April.

The 28-year-old Verdugo (29 in May) is coming off the worst season of his big league career but was a steady regular with the Dodgers and Red Sox from 2019-23. Over that five-year period, he slashed a combined .283/.338/.432 with quality corner outfield defense. He may not have developed into the star some had hoped when the former second-round pick was widely regarded as a top-100 prospect, but Verdugo was a clear contributor on generally competitive clubs.

The 2024 season started out with more of the same. Traded to the Yankees last offseason, Verdugo came out of the gate hot, batting .275/.362/.450 in his first 141 plate appearances. He fell into a deep slump from that point forth and never recovered, however. From mid-May through season’s end, Verdugo’s .221/.270/.330 line was one of the least-productive in all of baseball among qualified hitters.

Last year’s prolonged struggles surely hindered Verdugo’s market. He was connected to teams like the Pirates, Angels and Astros throughout the winter, but all of those clubs either went another direction in the outfield or didn’t end up making an outfield addition at all. The Pirates instead decided it better to spread out their limited remaining resources across multiple players; they signed Tommy Pham ($4.05MM) and Andrew Heaney ($5.25MM) to one-year deals not long after being linked to Verdugo.

Verdugo heads to Atlanta on a lighter deal than most would’ve predicted back at the onset of free agency, providing some outfield depth at a time when Ronald Acuña Jr. is still rehabbing last year’s ACL tear while Jarred Kelenic continues to struggle. Offseason signee Jurickson Profar has also been banged up in camp, as it’s now been nearly two weeks since he was in an official game. Profar injured his wrist on a diving attempt in left field; he was diagnosed with a bone bruise, not a fracture, and is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Bone bruises are tricky injuries, the effects of which can sometimes linger longer than expected.

If the Braves can get everyone healthy, they’ll have some decisions to make. At full strength, the outfield would clearly be Profar in left, Michael Harris II in center and Acuña in right. Kelenic would fill a fourth outfield role in that setup, while Bryan De La Cruz — also on the 40-man roster — would likely reside in Triple-A as a depth piece.

Verdugo’s addition to the mix most directly threatens Kelenic’s role. Both are left-handed hitters who can handle center field but are probably better suited for corner work. (Verdugo certainly is.) Kelenic is a former top-10 pick and once ranked as one of the game’s 10 best prospects, but he’s never hit his stride in the majors after decimating minor league pitching.

The Braves acquired Kelenic from the Mariners in the 2023-24 offseason via a series of convoluted salary-dump trades that wound up seeing Atlanta take on around $25MM in dead money (plus nearly $7MM in luxury taxes) to purchase the former top prospect. They said from the jump that he’d receive regular playing time and would not be platooned, but by the end of camp he’d struggled enough against lefties that the Braves re-signed Adam Duvall to platoon with him. Kelenic’s first season with Atlanta resulted in a disappointing .231/.286/.393 slash. He’s followed that  up with a .200/.282/.457 slash in 39 spring plate appearances.

Kelenic has a minor league option remaining. If he struggles, it’s feasible that Atlanta will try to get him on track in Gwinnett and switch him out for Verdugo, using the veteran Verdugo in that aforementioned fourth outfield role. It’s a low-cost depth gamble made possible by Verdugo’s lack of market to this point. There’s little harm in opportunistically adding to the depth at this price point; the Braves are now up to about $231MM of luxury obligations, per RosterResource, leaving them $10MM shy of the tax threshold.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Verdugo and the Braves had agreed to a deal worth $1.5MM. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported that it was a one-year, major league contract.

Report: No Major League Offers For Verdugo This Offseason

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Alex Verdugo is one of the most prominent names still lingering on the free agent market, and it doesn’t sound as though he’s been close to coming off the board at any point. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reports that Verdugo has yet to receive a formal major league offer from any team since becoming a free agent back in November. Kuty chatted with now-former teammates Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe, Marcus Stroman and Trent Grisham about the situation, each of whom expressed surprise that Verdugo is unsigned and spoke highly of him as a teammate and member of the Yankees’ 2024 clubhouse.

Verdugo has drawn at least some interest from big league teams this winter — the Pirates, Angels and Astros among them. While Verdugo may not have received a formal written offer, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported recently that Pittsburgh “floated” a number around $8MM in discussions with the outfielder before pivoting to sign Tommy Pham for a year and $4.05MM. It’s not clear whether Verdugo didn’t find that number appealing or whether the Bucs preferred to spread out their limited resources. They signed Pham and Andrew Heaney for a combined $9.3MM.

The Astros were known to be looking for left-handed-hitting outfield help, but the front office has spent the offseason facing payroll limitations. Owner Jim Crane was seemingly only willing to exceed the luxury tax for Alex Bregman and Bregman alone. Houston was only about $5-6MM shy of the tax threshold when Ben Gamel was signed to a one-year, $1.2MM deal that seemingly closed the door on any potential match with Verdugo.

Verdugo, 29 in May, is coming off the worst full season of his career. His lone year with the Yankees resulted in a .233/.291/.356 batting line that clocked in 17% worse than average, by measure of wRC+. That paltry end-of-season line comes despite a terrific start to his 2024 campaign. Through mid-May, Verdugo was batting .275/.362/.450 in 141 plate appearances. He fell into a deep slump shortly thereafter and never really managed to recover; over his final 480 trips to the plate, he mustered only a .221/.270/.330 output. The only qualified hitters with a lower wRC+ than Verdugo’s mark of 69 during that time (indicating he was 31% below par at the plate) were Maikel Garcia and Bryan De La Cruz.

Even with that rough year, however, it’s still a moderate surprise that Verdugo’s market has been so quiet. He’s more than a year shy of his 30th birthday, and from 2019-23 he was a solid regular, hitting a combined .283/.338/.432 with solid or better corner outfield defense. He averaged two to three wins above replacement per 162 games played during that stretch. He might not be an All-Star like some had envisioned during his yearslong run as one of the sport’s top 100 prospects, but Verdugo has generally been a serviceable regular outside of his rough 2024 campaign.

At this point, it seems he might need to wait for an injury to create an opportunity for him. While there are still several teams that could clearly use a corner outfield upgrade, most clubs in that situation have either spent the bulk of their offseason budgets (e.g. Royals) or shown little to no interest whatsoever in spending this winter (e.g. Marlins).

Latest On Alex Verdugo

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With fewer than three weeks until Opening Day, Alex Verdugo remains unsigned. The former Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees outfielder stands as one of the higher-profile names who’s yet to come to terms on a deal with a team for the upcoming season. He’s been tied to each of the Astros, Pirates and Angels over the course of the offseason, although the former two clubs have since signed different corner outfielders. Pittsburgh inked Tommy Pham on a one-year, $4.25MM deal. Houston brought Ben Gamel back on a one-year, $1.2MM deal (though reportedly, only Gamel’s $200K signing bonus is guaranteed on that deal).

It’s not fully clear what type of situation Verdugo has been seeking. The 29-year-old is presumably looking for a big league deal, even on the heels of a down year and in the waning stages of the offseason, but preferences regarding asking price, location, etc. remain unclear. Jon Heyman of the New York Post offers some context, however, reporting that prior to signing Pham, the Pirates “floated” the idea of signing Verdugo for  “around $8MM.”

It bears emphasizing that there’s no indication an $8MM offer was ever formally presented to Verdugo. Heyman’s report also doesn’t specify the timing of that “floated” proposal. If it was early enough in the offseason, perhaps Verdugo felt he had sufficient interest to eclipse that mark or at least other clubs showing interest at a similar rate.

It seems clear now that the opportunity in Pittsburgh has passed, with Pham in the fold there. The Bucs have Pham, Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds lined up for outfield work. Pham could always be pushed to a bench role, but he suggested early in camp that one of the reasons he chose to sign with the Pirates over other suitors was a greater opportunity for at-bats. It seems as though the Pirates communicated to Pham that he’d have the chance for plenty of playing time. Plus, with Pittsburgh’s payroll at $88MM — a bottom-of-the-barrel mark relative to the rest of the league but right in line with last year’s level for the Buccos — ownership may not be comfortable putting any more dollars into the team.

At this point in the offseason, it’s difficult to imagine Verdugo securing $8MM. There aren’t many teams with a clear need for a corner outfielder, and many of the potential suitors have minimal budget space. One of the reasons the Astros signed Gamel is that owner Jim Crane is loath to exceed the luxury tax for a second straight season. Gamel came at a bargain rate. Houston is less than $5MM from the CBT threshold, per RosterResource. The Royals have been seeking outfield additional bats, but their projected $132MM Opening Day payroll is the second-highest in franchise history and is already nearly $20MM north of last year’s mark.

At this point, it might take a spring injury to an established big league outfielder to spur a team to make a compelling offer to Verdugo. The Guardians (top prospect Chase DeLauter) and Tigers (Parker Meadows, Matt Vierling) both have injuries in their outfield mix, but there’s no indication either would consider a run at Verdugo. The Yankees increasingly seem unlikely to have Giancarlo Stanton for the early portion of the season, but they still have a full outfield (Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham) and seem to be near owner Hal Steinbrenner’s spending limit. The Rangers have had some injuries (Wyatt Langford, Adolis Garcia), but they’re short-term in nature and Texas is in a similar position to Houston with regard to the luxury tax.

Verdugo took to Instagram earlier this week to post a highlight reel with the caption “in due time” — a fitting descriptor of where things seem to stand. An opportunity will present itself eventually, but for now, it seems the 28-year-old (29 in May) will have to wait things out.

Poll: Who’s The Best Hitter Still Available In Free Agency?

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With the end of February upon us, free agency has mostly been resolved for the offseason with only a handful of clearly big-league caliber free agents remaining. Unlike last year, when Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery were all top-10 free agents in the class who lingered on the open market well beyond the start of Spring Training, this year’s top free agents were almost entirely signed prior to the beginning of camp. At this point, just four of MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents remain unsigned: Jose Quintana, Kyle Gibson, David Robertson, and Spencer Turnbull. Notably, all four of those unsigned players are pitchers.

While that leaves plenty of wiggle room for teams in need of pitching help due to a hole in the roster or a surprise injury to maneuver heading into March, the same can not be said on the hitting side of things. Even extending to the “honorable mentions” section of MLBTR’s list, just one hitter remains available after the Cubs’ recent signing of veteran infielder Justin Turner to a one-year deal. Slim as the pickings may be, however, there are certainly a handful of teams remaining who could use another bat in the lineup at least somewhere on the diamond. For those clubs in need of help on offense, who are the best options still remaining?

J.D. Martinez

The only hitter still available who made the aforementioned “honorable mentions” section of MLBTR’s Top 50, Martinez has an unmatched track record as a hitter but is headed into his age-37 season on the heels of a down season with the Mets. Last year, the veteran slugger managed a slash line of just .235/.320/.406 with a wRC+ of 108. That’s certainly not bad offensive production, but it’s less impressive for a DH-only player and a major step back for a hitter with a career 130 wRC+. Martinez’s strikeout rate (28.5%) and walk rate (9.9%) were both actually better than his 2023 season with the Dodgers, but that improved discipline at the plate came with a severe drop off in power as he hit just 16 homers, less than half of last year’s 33.

Even after last year’s down season, however, Martinez remains a decorated hitter with an excellent track record. He’s been above-average at the plate in each of the past ten 162-game seasons, with a .286/.355/.536 (136 wRC+) slash line overall since the start of 2014. Even last year’s down production was comparable or better than a number of bat-first players around the league who enter 2025 with starting jobs, such as Luis Arraez, Josh Bell, Andrew McCutchen, and Rhys Hoskins. Perhaps most importantly, it’s worth noting that Martinez substantially under-performed his expected numbers last year, and his .351 xwOBA was actually slightly higher than quality bats like Teoscar Hernandez and Seiya Suzuki. That suggests that even a repeat of 2024 could yield significantly stronger production.

Jose Iglesias

Few free agent hitters this year had a stronger platform season than Iglesias, who was worth 2.5 fWAR and 3.1 bWAR in just 85 games with the Mets thanks to an incredible .337/.381/.448 slash line, good for a 137 wRC+. Among second basemen with at least 250 plate appearances last year, that wRC+ is second only to Ketel Marte. Combined with Iglesias’s solid work with the glove around the infield, one would think that offense would make him a very attractive target for teams in need of help on the dirt. That’s not how things have played out so far, however. Iglesias has seemingly gotten little interest from clubs this winter, and a look under the hood helps to explain why.

Iglesias is on the older side, entering his age-35 season this year, and lacks a track record of success at the plate with a wRC+ of just 90 across more than 1,000 games in the majors. That’s not necessarily a death knell, as shown by Jurickson Profar turning last year’s breakout into a strong three-year guarantee with Atlanta, but underlying metrics suggest that Iglesias’s production last year is not anywhere near as sustainable. He was helped by an inflated .382 BABIP that’s nearly 70 points higher than his career .315 figure, and his xwOBA of .314 suggests his underlying performance was more akin to Jake Cronenworth than Francisco Lindor. Even with those potential red flags, however, Iglesias seems like the likely best option for teams in need of help on the infield.

Alex Verdugo

Verdugo won’t turn 29 until May, making him by far the youngest player mentioned on this list. He’s also found solid success at the plate before in his career, as demonstrated by his .289/.343/.435 (108 wRC+) slash line from 2019 to 2022. Those factors work in his favor, but to this point in his free agency he’s been unable to capitalize on them coming off the worst offensive campaign of his career. Verdugo slashed just .233/.291/.356 (83 wRC+) in 149 games for the Yankees last year, a figure that made him one of the ten worst hitters in the sport to qualify for the batting title. That won’t cut it for a bat-first position like left field, even if Verdugo is a quality defender at the position.

Things aren’t entirely grim for the outfielder, however. Verdugo’s .302 xwOBA suggests that his underlying performance was roughly league average last year, and his offensive production could also be improved by limiting his exposure to same-handed pitchers given that he’s a career 79 wRC+ hitter against southpaws who mostly repeated that with a 74 wRC+ last year. It’s also worth noting that Verdugo’s .253 BABIP last season was substantially worse than any other campaign of his career and a full 60 points below his career norm entering the year. While there’s little to like in Verdugo’s 2024 numbers, it would be reasonable to suggest that his youth and upside relative to the rest of the players mentioned here makes him an attractive option.

Anthony Rizzo

Rizzo is entering his age-35 season an arguably the most difficult player to evaluate on this list. He’s played just 191 games over the past two years due to a number of substantial injuries, though none of them are the type of injury that would portend future injury woes: after suffering a concussion in early May of 2023, Rizzo saw his performance decline as he unknowingly played through the injury before being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome ahead of a season-ending trip to the injured list in August of that year. He returned in 2024 but was limited to just 92 games by a fractured forearm and a finger fracture stemming from a collision at first base and a hit-by-pitch, respectively.

Over the past two years, Rizzo has not hit well. The veteran first baseman has slashed just .237/.315/.358 (91 wRC+) since the start of the 2023 campaign, and his expected numbers don’t show clear signs of untapped potential. For a 35-year-old restricted to first base and DH defensively, that could be enough for many teams to dismiss him as a regular option. With that being said, however, Rizzo also sports a track record as one of the most consistent hitters of the decade prior to his injuries with a .268/.368/.486 (131 wRC+) slash line from 2012 to 2022. Rizzo was off to an excellent start in 2023, with a .301/.376/.513 (146 wRC+) slash line in 50 games prior to the concussion. Given his track record of success and the stark drop of production he faced amid the injuries of the past two seasons, perhaps a fully healthy campaign is all it would take to get the veteran’s career back on track.

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The four aforementioned hitters certainly aren’t the only ones remaining in free agency, though the remaining group come with plenty of question marks. David Peralta posted a strong 115 wRC+ with the Padres last year, but did so in only 260 plate appearances, is entering his age-38 campaign, and looked overmatched as a semi-regular player for the Dodgers the year prior. Whit Merrifield is a versatile fielder who posted roughly league average (97 wRC+) production with the Braves down the stretch last year, but did so only after a disastrous (63 wRC+) stint with the Phillies earlier in the season. Nick Senzel is a former top prospect who’s still just 29 years old, but has yet to hit in the majors across parts of six seasons.

Which of free agency’s remaining hitters do MLBTR readers think is the best bet for success in 2025? Have your say in the poll below:

The Best Remaining Free Agent Position Players

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The market for free agents of any note is drying up by the day. In particular, we've seen a run on veteran pitchers. Nick Pivetta, Andrew Heaney, Cal Quantrill, Jakob Junis, John Means, Tyler Alexander, Kenley Jansen, Scott Barlow, John Brebbia, Kendall Graveman, Luke Jackson, Scott Alexander and Lucas Sims have all come off the board in the past ten days. A few bats have signed in that time as well, but typically on smaller-scale deals. Justin Turner's $6MM Cubs deal is the most notable. Each of Michael A. Taylor, Ty France, Paul DeJong and Luis Urias secured guarantees between $1-2MM.

At this stage, there simply aren't many potential big league deals left for free agent position players. That doesn't mean there aren't any, however. There are still four free agent hitters who posted better-than-average offense last year, plus another couple notable names who are looking to bounce back from their first truly poor offensive performance in the past six seasons.

Let's run through some of the remaining free agent position players on the market, with a brief look at their 2024 season, what they bring to the table, and some of the best landing spots left for each.

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Astros, Angels Have Shown Interest In Alex Verdugo

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The Mets, Astros, Blue Jays and Angels are among the teams that have checked in on free agent outfielder Alex Verdugo this offseason, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. FanSided’s Robert Murray reported earlier this week that the Pirates were also interested in the lefty-hitting outfielder.

Verdugo is looking to bounce back after a disappointing year in the Bronx. He hit just .233/.291/.356 over 621 plate appearances as a Yankee. Most of the positives came in the season’s first few weeks. Verdugo hit .267/.358/.446 through the end of April. He turned in a .225/.275/.336 slash in more than 500 trips to the plate the rest of the way. He continued to struggle in the postseason, hitting .208/.303/.313 with one homer in 14 games.

It certainly wasn’t an ideal time for the worst year of Verdugo’s career. He’d been a capable regular for a few seasons in Boston before that. Verdugo had a .281/.338/.424 slash over parts of four seasons as a member of the Red Sox. While he never developed into the All-Star caliber player some prospect evaluators expected, he was a solid regular.

Verdugo turns 29 in May. He’s likely available on a one-year pillow contract. He’ll presumably look for a deal that’s not far off the $10MM which Max Kepler received from the Phillies last month. That makes him an option for a low-payroll team like the Pirates. He could fit for any club looking for left-handed outfield help.

That’s a specific need for the Astros. General manager Dana Brown has acknowledged they’d like a lefty-hitting outfielder following the Kyle Tucker trade. Houston doesn’t have an obvious answer in left field, while they’re relying on Chas McCormick to bounce back in right field. Verdugo is one of the most straightforward targets. The Astros project a few million dollars above the luxury tax threshold. It’d be difficult to get back under the tax line unless they trade Ryan Pressly and limit their spending for the remainder of the offseason.

The Angels have Taylor Ward as the expected starter in left field. His name has been floated in trade speculation, albeit without indications that the Halos are actively shopping him. Even if they keep Ward, they’d benefit from an upgrade over the Jo Adell/Mickey Moniak pairing in the opposite corner.

Toronto is very likely to add an everyday outfielder in the coming weeks. They’ll probably take a bigger swing than Verdugo. The Jays have been one of the top suitors for Anthony Santander, to whom they’ve reportedly made an offer. The Mets may be the toughest fit. It stands to reason Verdugo will prioritize a team that can afford him everyday playing time. New York has Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo in the outfield corners, while Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri are center field options. Starling Marte remains on hand as a depth outfielder.

Pirates Interested In Alex Verdugo

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It’s been a pretty quiet offseason for the Pirates, with their most prominent moves to date including the acquisition of first baseman Spencer Horwitz (in exchange for righty Luis Ortiz) and the re-signing of franchise icon Andrew McCutchen on another one-year, $5MM deal. The Bucs were said last month to be exploring the bullpen and corner outfield markets, and that appears to still be the case. Robert Murray of FanSided more specifically reports that Alex Verdugo is one name in whom the Pirates have interest.

Verdugo, 29 in May, is coming off a down season with the Yankees — his lone season in the Bronx. The former second-rounder and top prospect got out to a big start in his lone Yankees season, slashing .275/.362/.450 through his first 140 plate appearances. He tanked thereafter, posting just a .221/.270/.330 slash over his final 480 trips to the plate. Overall, he finished out the season with a .233/.291/.356 batting line — about 17% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+.

Ugly as those results were, they stand as something of an anomaly in contrast with the rest of Verdugo’s career. While he’s never broken out into stardom, Verdugo was a solid regular in the outfield corners from 2019-23, batting a combined .283/.338/.432 in 2448 plate appearances with the Dodgers and Red Sox from 2019-23. That’s “only” about six percent better than league average, but he coupled that production with quality corner outfield grades (per both Defensive Runs Saved and, to a lesser extent, Outs Above Average). Verdugo has never been a big power bat — he’s reached a career-high 13 home runs in three different seasons, including 2024 — but rarely strikes out (career 15.1%). He’s tied for fifth in the majors in doubles dating back to 2020.

Verdugo’s lack of over-the-fence pop and his middling finish to the 2024 season combine to drag down his earning power in free agency. Given his lackluster ’24 showing and his age, he seems likely to take a one-year deal and return to the market next winter, hopefully on the heels of a steadier and more productive performance. He’d still only be entering his age-30 season, an age at which plenty of outfielders find lucrative multi-year deals.

Bucs fans may be exhausted with the notion of one-year deals for veteran rebound candidates, but that’s the free-agent reality in which the team typically operates under current ownership. Verdugo would fit the bill and fill a position of need. As it stands, Pittsburgh’s outfield projects to include Bryan Reynolds, shortstop-turned-center-fielder Oneil Cruz and perhaps Joshua Palacios, though in-house options like Jack Suwinski and Billy Cook could get consideration this spring as well. Verdugo would more prominently step into an everyday role alongside Reynolds and Cruz.

As things stand, the Pirates’ projected payroll is a paltry $79MM, per RosterResource. That’s about $8MM south of last year’s $87MM mark. Having filled their first base need inexpensively via the Horwitz acquisition, there ought to be additional (albeit modest) spending power to bring an outfielder of Verdugo’s caliber into the fold and perhaps still add a free agent reliever to the mix. Earlier in the offseason, the Phillies signed Max Kepler to a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $10MM. Verdugo is younger but has less power and defensive upside; a contract in that general range seems possible, but he doesn’t seem likely to command more than that.

Yankees Notes: Pitching Staff, Rizzo, Verdugo

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The Yankees now know they’ll be taking on the Guardians in the ALCS when it begins on Monday, and manager Aaron Boone spoke to reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) about the club’s roster plans for the coming series. Of note, Boone indicated that after bringing just 11 pitchers to the ALDS they’ll be expanding their pitching staff headed into the seven-game set, though it’s not yet clear whether they’ll use the maximum 13 pitchers allowed or settle for 12 in order to maintain a more flexible bench.

Regardless of how many pitchers end up coming, the Yankees will need to utilize four rotation arms in the upcoming seven-game series after turning to only Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt in the best-of-five ALDS. Per Hoch, Boone indicated that right-hander Luis Gil will be joining the club’s rotation for the ALCS, though neither he nor Gerrit Cole will start Game 1 with Cole scheduled for a start in Game 2 and Gil expected to start later in the series. That would seemingly leave either Rodon or Schmidt lined up to start the first game of the ALCS.

Schmidt has both the stronger regular season and postseason numbers of the pair, having posted a 2.85 ERA in 16 regular season starts and thrown 4 2/3 innings of two-run ball against the Royals during the ALDS. With that said, Rodon did strike out seven batters in his 3 2/3 innings of work during the ALDS (albeit with four earned runs on his ledger) and would be start Game 1 on an additional day of rest as compared to Schmidt. Veteran righty Marcus Stroman is also theoretically available to start if needed but seems likely to be used as a starter only in an emergency after being moved to the bullpen late in the regular season and being left off the ALDS roster entirely. Stroman could make the ALCS roster as a multi-inning reliever or emergency starter, though it’s also possible the club could want to add another short relief arm such as Mark Leiter Jr. to their bullpen mix headed into the series.

As the Yankees ponder how many pitchers to roster for the ALCS, one potential factor in that decision could be how many roster spots they need to allocate to first base. Veteran first baseman Anthony Rizzo was absent from the ALDS roster after suffering two broken fingers in the final days of the regular season. In his stead, the Yankees relied on a combination of Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti at first base when facing Kansas City. The pair went a combined 3-for-12 with a double, four walks and four strikeouts during the series and could be turned to once again at first depending on Rizzo’s status.

Rookie Ben Rice was also on the ALDS roster as a first base option but ultimately did not make it into a game, making him a logical cut from the ALCS roster either for the return of Rizzo or the addition of another pitcher. Hoch relays that Boone told reporters the veteran first baseman was making “some progress” as he looks to return in time for the ALCS, though Boone didn’t get into specifics about Rizzo’s status and noted that a final decision about his availability likely would not be made until the club finalizes its roster plans on Monday.

One position that seems fairly set in stone for the Bronx headed into next week’s series, however, is left field. After a lackluster regular season that saw the Yankees briefly turn to top prospect Jasson Dominguez over him down the stretch, Verdugo received the nod in left field headed into the playoffs. While Verdugo went just three-for-14 in the ALDS this year, he did deliver a clutch performance in Game 1 where he notched two hits, knocked in the go-ahead run and made an impressive defensive play in the outfield to rob Royals second baseman Michael Massey of a hit.

Verdugo’s Game 1 heroics were evidently enough to earn him a starting nod in the left field headed into the ALCS, as Boone indicated (as relayed by Hoch) that the outfielder is “likely” to remain the club’s starter in left for their coming series against Cleveland. Dominguez, Trent Grisham, and Duke Ellis were other outfielders included on the club’s ALDS roster, Ellis’s brief cameo a pinch runner in Game 5 was the only appearance any of the three made during the series. If the Yankees ultimately decide to go to 13 pitchers on the roster, cutting one of those outfield options could be another way to free up space for more pitching.

Brian Cashman On Yankees’ Dominguez/Verdugo Decision

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Since a blistering start to the season, highlighted by a 21-7 showing in May, the Yankees have played at a sub-.500 pace, recording a 40-41 record dating back to the beginning of June. They’re 1-3 since the calendar flipped to September and have dropped seven of their past 11 games. A lineup anchored by Aaron Judge and Juan Soto has remained among the more productive units in the game, but the Yankees’ other outfield spot has been a weak point in the lineup for much of the season. Top prospect Jasson Dominguez is healthy and awaiting a big league opportunity as he rips through Triple-A pitching, but the Yankees have thus far stuck with struggling veteran Alex Verdugo — much to the chagrin of the fan base.

General manager Brian Cashman addressed the subject today, telling reporters that if Dominguez were to be called up to the majors, he’d need regular at-bats the team does not currently believe to be available (link via the New York Post’s Greg Joyce). Cashman suggested that Dominguez is “doing everything he needs to” in Triple-A at the moment but also pointed to recent improvement in Verdugo’s results.

“The evaluations that we’re having with our field staff and player development staff, front office staff, is just what is going to give us the best chance to win,” said Cashman. “As of right now, we’re staying pat with what we’ve got.”

It’s a frankly vexing stance for the GM to take, given the rate at which Verdugo has produced (or rather failed to do so) for the bulk of the season. Coming over in an offseason trade with the archrival Red Sox, Verdugo got out to a nice start in his Yankees tenure, hitting .267/.358/.446 through the end of April. Had he continued at or close to that pace, it’d be understandable and plenty defensible to say that the veteran Verdugo can’t simply be pushed aside. That hasn’t been the case. Dating back to May 1, Verdugo has posted an anemic .227/.276/.337 batting line. That’s 28% worse than league-average, by measure of wRC+ (72).

For much of that time, the Yankees didn’t have the luxury of even making a tough decision. Dominguez spent the early portion of the season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery performed last September. He was able to begin a rehab assignment in May and was optioned in June when that rehab window ended. At that point, Verdugo’s struggles hadn’t persisted much longer than a month. Judge and Soto were healthy and producing. There wasn’t a clear-cut path to an everyday role. Dominguez wound up suffering a fairly severe oblique strain in Triple-A — one that cost him more than six weeks of action.

Dominguez returned to action in late July, and since then has received all of one game in the big leagues — a quick look as the 27th man in this year’s Little League Classic, after which he was returned to Triple-A. Calls for the Yankees to swap out the veteran Verdugo have since mounted, and Dominguez’s torrid play with the Yankees’ top affiliate isn’t going to quell them anytime soon.

In 41 Triple-A games this season, Dominguez is sporting a hefty .313/.371/.497 batting line — 25% better than average in the Triple-A International League. After striking out in about a quarter of his minor league plate appearances last year, he’s cut that rate to 18.5% in Triple-A this season. Dominguez has been on a particularly potent heater over his past 20 games, slashing .375/.438/.613 with five home runs. Verdugo has turned in a .225/.260/.296 slash in that same time.

There’s no real service time gamesmanship at play here. Dominguez wouldn’t reach a full year of service time in 2024 even if he were called to the majors today. He’d also retain his rookie eligibility into the 2025 season as long as he spent fewer than 34 days on the active roster and accumulated fewer than 95 at-bats between now and the end of the regular season. However, as J.J. Cooper and Matt Eddy of Baseball America highlighted recently, Dominguez wouldn’t even be eligible to net the Yankees a draft pick under the CBA’s prospect promotion incentives, as one of the requirements for the PPI eligibility is having fewer than 60 days of MLB service. Dominguez already surpassed that total while on the major league injured list due to the aforementioned Tommy John surgery.

The Post’s Jon Heyman reported last night that there was a “spirited” debate among Yankees decision-makers on whether to call Dominguez to the majors this month and swap him into the lineup for Verdugo. The decision to keep Dominguez in the minors is hardly unanimous among the team’s decision-makers, per the report, with several Yankees execs strongly advocating for Dominguez’s promotion. However, both Cashman and manager Aaron Boone have faith in Verdugo’s abilities, Heyman writes.

On the one hand, the Yankees are a lock to reach the postseason whether they’re playing Verdugo or Dominguez every day. At 80-60, they’re tied with the Guardians for the fifth-best record in MLB. On the other, New York’s recent slide has also dropped them a half-game behind the Orioles for the division lead.

It’s debatable whether Dominguez would’ve shifted the Yankees’ fortune in any of their recent losses — he alone isn’t likely to have flipped the script in a four-run loss to Texas or a seven-run loss to St. Louis, for instance — but there’s no denying that the potential difference between Dominguez and Verdugo over the final three-plus weeks could prove pivotal in closing that half-game gap in the standings. That could be the difference between a Wild Card berth or a division-winning, first-round bye for the Yankees.

Alex Verdugo Receiving Trade Interest

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An unknown number of teams have been in touch with the Yankees about Alex Verdugo’s availability, according to reporter Francys Romero (X link).  There doesn’t appear to be any sense that a trade is particularly close, though another source tells Romero that it isn’t out of the question that Verdugo could be moved.  Verdugo would be a pure rental for any acquiring team, and he is owed roughly $2.9MM for the remainder of the season (from his $8.7MM salary).

New York just picked up Verdugo this past offseason, as a rare trade between the Yankees and Red Sox resulted in the outfielder coming to the Bronx for his final arbitration-eligible season.  Verdugo got off to a nice start with his new team by hitting well over the first five weeks of play, but his production has since gone south, with a .222/.264/.346 slash line in his last 297 plate appearances.  He is providing strong glovework as the regular left fielder, but Verdugo’s 90 wRC+ for the season has added to the Yankees’ overall difficulty in finding consistent offense beyond Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.

Giancarlo Stanton’s return from the injured list fills one hole in the lineup, and with Stanton getting the bulk of DH duty, Judge will resume the everyday center field role.  Trent Grisham and utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera could get some left field work in the event of a Verdugo trade, but the likelier scenario would be that the Yankees would again call up star prospect Jasson Dominguez, who was recently activated from the Triple-A injured list.

Dominguez didn’t make his 2024 debut until mid-May due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and he got only about a month’s worth of action before an oblique strain shelved him for roughly six weeks.  With only 25 games under his belt this season, the Yankees might want to give him a bit more Triple-A time to make sure Dominguez is fully healthy and ramped up, though his big numbers at the plate indicate that he doesn’t have much less to prove against minor league pitching.  Dominguez wowed baseball with a .980 OPS in his first 33 PAs as a big leaguer last season before the TJ surgery brought his debut year to an abrupt end.

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