SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A year and a half ago, Alex Verdugo was standing in the left field grass at Yankee Stadium during the World Series. He batted cleanup in some of those October games for the Yankees. He delivered an RBI in Game 5. And when it all ended against the Dodgers, he struck out against Walker Buehler for the final out of the Fall Classic.
Since then, the 29-year-old ex-Yankees star has not played a single major league game in eight months. His last appearance came in early July with the Atlanta Braves, who released him after 56 games of forgettable production. He spent the rest of 2025 at home. No team called. The offseason rumor mill didn’t mention his name.
Until now.
From the Yankees’ World Series lineup to baseball’s fringes
Verdugo’s fall has been steep. The Yankees acquired him from the Red Sox in December 2023 in a rare trade between the two rivals, only the eighth such deal since 1969. The hope was that the left-handed hitter would provide a steady bat and reliable defense in the outfield.
That never materialized. In 149 games with the Yankees in 2024, Verdugo batted .233/.291/.356 with 13 home runs, 61 RBI and a career-worst .291 on-base percentage. His 84 wRC+ told the story of a hitter who was simply overmatched. He ranked among the bottom of the league in bat speed at 68.4 mph and produced a ground ball rate near 50 percent. Yankees fans grew all too familiar with the sight of limp rollers to second base.
Still, his defense kept him in the Yankees lineup. Verdugo posted two Outs Above Average in left field and was named a Gold Glove finalist. That was enough for manager Aaron Boone to slot him into the postseason roster over Jasson Dominguez. Verdugo hit .208 with one homer and eight RBI in 14 playoff games before striking out to end the Series.
He entered free agency with little fanfare. The Braves gave the ex-Yankees star a one-year, $1.5 million deal in late March 2025, but it came with an option to start in Triple-A. He hit .239 with zero home runs and a .585 OPS in 56 games before Atlanta designated him for assignment in July to make room for Jurickson Profar’s return from an 80-game PED suspension.
Padres finally land a player they have chased for years
On Sunday, the San Diego Padres signed Verdugo to a minor league contract. He will report to the team’s minor league camp, not the big league side. That distinction matters. This is not a guaranteed roster spot. It is a tryout.
But the Padres have been interested in Verdugo for a long time. According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the team explored trade discussions for the ex-Yankees star in previous seasons and talked with him after the 2024 season about signing as a free agent. The interest never turned into a deal until now.
The attraction is understandable when you look beyond the last two years. From 2019 through 2023, Verdugo batted .283 with a .770 OPS across five seasons with the Dodgers and Red Sox. His .292 average against right-handed pitching ranked 11th in the majors over that span, with an .812 OPS against righties that placed him 47th overall.
Those numbers have cratered. Over the past two seasons with the Yankees and Braves, Verdugo has hit .241 with a .655 OPS against right-handers. His career slash line across nine major league seasons sits at .270/.326/.406 with 70 home runs, 328 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 856 games.
San Diego’s crowded outfield leaves little room
Verdugo faces long odds to crack the Padres’ 26-man roster. Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ramon Laureano are locked in as the starting outfield. Miguel Andujar and Nick Castellanos will rotate through corner outfield and designated hitter duties. Bryce Johnson is in the mix as a fourth outfielder.
The Padres are also carrying a wave of minor league invitees battling for bench spots, including Ty France, Pablo Reyes, Jose Miranda and Nick Solak. Verdugo is one name in a crowded field.
His best path would be as a left-handed platoon option against right-handed pitching, potentially spelling Laureano on occasion. San Diego does not have a set designated hitter, which gives the coaching staff flexibility to rotate bats through the lineup.
For the Padres, operating under a tight budget with the franchise up for sale, the math is simple. There is no financial risk. If Verdugo hits in the minors, he becomes a depth option San Diego can call up if injuries strike. If he doesn’t, they move on without consequence.
For Verdugo, who turns 30 in May, the stakes are different. Two straight seasons of decline have pushed him to the margins of the sport. He was once a centerpiece of the Mookie Betts trade, the player Boston received to soften the blow of losing a generational talent. He played in a World Series with the Yankees. And now he is reporting to minor league camp in Arizona, trying to prove he still belongs.
Baseball careers can turn quickly. But eight months without competitive at-bats is a long time, and the version of Verdugo that San Diego is buying looks nothing like the player they chased for years.
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