The Athletic’s Chad Jennings talks about Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo’s trade value this offseason
Over the summer, the Red Sox gauged Alex Verdugo’s trade value. Boston and the New York Yankees discussed a swap that would have sent Verdugo to the Bronx for second baseman Gleyber Torres.
Both players are in the final year of their respective contracts with their current clubs and are candidates to be moved this offseason.
The Athletic’s Chad Jennings joined the To the Show We Go podcast and discussed his gut reaction to the initial Verdugo and Torres rumors, in addition to what the Sox outfielder’s value might look like heading into the Winter Meetings next week in Nashville.
“Well, you know, what's funny is, when I first heard the notion of Verdugo for Gleyber Torres, my gut reaction was the Red Sox would have to add to that,” said Jennings. “I started hearing the opposite from people so maybe that lines up better than I thought, maybe Verdugo’s value is higher than I anticipated.”
Verdugo having only one year left on his deal with the Red Sox will dimmish his trade value. The right fielder was a finalist for an American League Gold Glove this past season. That alone might increase his overall market for front offices valuing a strong defensive outfield.
“The fact that Verdugo has one year left is that diminishes his value. As well as the fact he just hasn't been the hitter that we all kind of I think everyone kind of thinks he should be the past few years. So I think his values down but I also think that teams one value corner outfield defense, maybe more than more than I immediately do in my head,” said Jennings.
The Arizona native’s performance in right field was one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this past season. He had 12 assists and nine defensive runs saved, tying the Guardians Ramon Laureano and free agent Teoscar Hernández respectively for the most among AL right fielders.
Verdugo put up those impressive numbers playing in a difficult right field at Fenway Park.
“I think teams do (value defense) and within the metrics that they're using. I bet there's more value there than we're thinking for a corner outfielder who's been like a league average hitter. I still think the fact that there's only one year left, you're gonna have to find someone to line up just right,” added Jennings.
New Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow could pivot and not trade Verdugo, giving the outfielder his final season in Boston as an opportunity to show why he deserves an extension.
Breslow has acknowledged that teams around the league have called about Verdugo’s availability on the trade market.
"We have had some conversations with him," Breslow said at the GM Meetings in early November in Arizona. "It feels like he's committed to performing the best he possibly can. Obviously, he's a guy other teams have reached out on, just given the situation. 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 an agent as a chance to make our team better. Where that lands, we'll see."
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