Rumors swirl on the availability of Red Sox' outfielder Alex Verdugo
The rumors that the Red Sox are actively shopping outfielder Alex Verdugo may not be necessarily correct. New chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters at the GM Meetings in Arizona, that other clubs are showing interest in the righty fielder.
“Obviously he’s a guy that other teams have kind of reached out on given the situation,” Breslow said on Wednesday. “But I don’t think we’re in a position to commit to anything. We have to look at every opportunity, every interaction with another club or with an agent as a chance to get better. Where that lands, we’ll see.”
Verdugo is entering his final season under contract with the Red Sox and has been productive the last four years. He is expected to earn around $9.2 million in arbitration for 2024, according to MLBTradeRumors. This past season, he was benched twice for disciplinary reasons casting doubt as to his future with the organization.
The 27-year-old is coming off a 2023 season where he was a finalist for the Gold Glove award in right field.
Verdugo is a prime candidate, the Yankees are one team to watch for his services, per source. The Red Sox and Yankees discussed a swap at the trade deadline involving Verdugo and right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt.
“His fit is as an everyday right fielder, who’s playing Gold Glove-caliber defense and can impact the ball on the offensive side as well,” said Breslow. “We’ve had some conversations with him. It feels like he’s committed to performing as best as he possibly can. Obviously, he’s a guy that other teams have kind of reached out on, given the situation. But I don’t think we’re in a position to commit to anything.
“We have to look at every opportunity and every interaction with another club or with agent as a chance to make the team better and where that lands, we’ll see.”
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.
