One week before their season opener against the San Diego Padres, the Atlanta Braves signed Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Although the veteran outfielder was coming off the worst season of his career in 2024, his poor showing in free agency surprised many observers.
Throughout his career, Verdugo has been, for the most part, a solid contact hitter who offers positional versatility in the outfield. But he nearly found himself without a team at the start of the 2025 season.
“Alex Verdugo scarcely misplayed a ball in left field for the Yankees last year… But boy did he ever misplay free agency,” Jon Heyman of the New York Post wrote, via si.