The calendar has flipped to March, MLB spring training has been underway for three weeks, and there are under than three full weeks remaining until it’s over. Before the calendar flips again, to April, the 2025 season will be off and running. And there are still 62 MLB free agents without contracts or teams.
One of the more surprising free agents to have so far found no takers for his services is former New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo who, though he clearly had an off-year in 2024, still owns a respectable career OPS of .742 with a “weighted runs created plus” (wRC+ â a measure of run production in which the MLB average is always 100) number of 101. His career OPS translates to an OPS+ (another measure that sets the MLB average at 100) of 101.
In other words, Verdugo is a solid, slightly better-than-average Major League hitter. In the outfield, the numbers show that Verdugo has been better than mediocre. His “defensive runs saved” for his career comes in at 29 runs above average, and his throwing arm has saved 15.4 more runs than that of an average outfielder, according to Fangraphs metrics.
Injury to Top Prospect May Open Door for Verdugo
Since he struck out to end the 2024 World Series, Verdugo has been effectively without a team. Signing him to a one-year, $9.2 million contract after acquiring him in a trade with the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees have since shown no interest in keeping him around for another season.
According to Matt Ehalt of the New York Post, the lack of interest in Verdugo could be due to a number of factors.
“Verdugo could be holding out for a better offer that he feels matches his self-perceived value, and itâs possible that teams just are not all that interested in a mediocre player,” Ehalt wrote on Tuesday. “Some teams may also view him as a reserve, while Verdugo still believes heâs a starting-caliber outfielder.”
But according to Matthew Schmidt of SI.com, Verdugo nay finally be on the verge of finding a new home â in Cleveland.
A serious injury to the Guardians’ No. 2 overall prospect, Chase DeLauter â who was expected to either break camp with the Major League club or earn promotion at some point early in the season â may have opened the door for Cleveland to look for an outfield replacement.
Verdugo to Cleveland on Minor League Deal Urged
“It couldn’t hurt for Cleveland to sign Verdugo to a minor-league deal, especially given the question marks that now exist in the outfield for the Guardians,” wrote Schmidt on Wednesday. “The Guardians didn’t really spend money during the offseason, which is right on brand for a franchise that typically ranks near the bottom of the MLB in payroll. However, Verdugo certainly wouldn’t be expensive, and he would have a chance to revitalize his career in Cleveland.”
According to the sports business site Spotrac, Verdugo would be expensive, but given the lack of interest teams have shown in his services, the site’s projected market value for the 28-year-old former Los Angeles Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect is almost certainly excessive. Spotrac sees Verdugo commanding a four-year, $60.8 million deal, which unless he can “revitalize his career” seems well out of his reach.
DeLauter, the Guardians’ first-round draft pick in 2022 (16th overall) out of James Madison, is slated to miss eight to 12 weeks after surgery to repair a sports hernia â a tear in the bilateral core muscle â which he suffered during a pre-game workout on February 28.
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