Former Yankees, Dodgers outfielder signs $1.5 million contract, ending long free agency
After reportedly not receiving a major league offer all offseason, underachieving free agent outfielder Alex Verdugo's long free agency ended just on the eve of a new season.
According to multiple reports Thursday, Verdugo's contract with the Atlanta Braves will pay him $1.5 million. Jon Heyman of the New York Post was first to report the contract.
Alex Verdugo to Braves. $1.5M.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 20, 2025
Verdugo began his career with the Dodgers, was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2020 in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to Los Angeles, and played for the Yankees last year.
Verdugo, 28, a former top prospect in the Los Angeles system, made the final out of the 2024 season when he struck out to end the ninth inning of Game 5 of the World Series.
The contract reunites Verdugo with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, an executive in the Dodgers' front office when Verdugo made his major league debut in 2017.
Verdugo slashed .288/.335/.449 (106 OPS+) over parts of three major league seasons with the Dodgers (2017-19). He was traded to Boston, along with catcher Connor Wong and prospect Jeter Downs, for Betts in Feb. 2020, but never matched the prospect hype that accompanied his arrival in the majors.
Verdugo slashed a respectable .281/.338/.424 (105 OPS+) over four years in Boston. He was traded again in Dec. 2023 — this time to the Yankees for Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice.
In his only season in New York, Verdugo struggled even more, slashing .233/.291/.356. In August of last year, Verdugo said the source of his struggles was partially owed to a confounding allergy to his batting gloves.
The Braves are signing OF Alex Verdugo to a major league deal but will option him to the minor leagues so he can get some at-bats, given that he will have missed basically all of spring training, a source said. @JonHeyman reported that his deal is worth $1.5M.
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) March 20, 2025
Verdugo will start the season in the minor leagues, according to ESPN's Buster Olney and Alden Gonzalez, and return to the majors after getting the necessary reps. Opening Day across Major League Baseball is seven days away.
Verdugo is optioned to Gwinnett. MLB deal but contract stipulation allows one demotion https://t.co/Wc5NupjAxO
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 20, 2025
According to Heyman, Verdugo's one-year contract allows him to be optioned once in 2025.
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