MLB Insider: Alex Verdugo "completely botched his free agency"

Did Alex Verdugo completely botch his free agency this offseason? Over a year ago, he signed an $8.7 million deal with the New York Yankees for the 2024 season, but things simply didn't go so well for him in The Bronx, as he posted the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS of his career.

It was only the first time since becoming a regular in the majors six years ago that he posted an OPS+ below league average, with only an 83 mark, after averaging a 105 OPS+ previously in his career. He did come out of the season with a World Series ring, however, helping the Yanks in his small way to the championship. He actually drove in eight runs in 14 postseason games.

But after signing a relatively skimpy one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves this week, he'll regret the opportunities lost this offseason. He "completely botched his free agency", writes insider Jon Heyman in The New York Post. He reports that Verdugo turned down a much more lucrative offer earlier in the offseason, and then never received another bona fide major league offer until the Braves came calling at the very end of spring training.

[Verdugo] signed with the Braves for $1.5 million and did it so late he had to be sent to Triple-A Gwinnett until he's ready. The Pirates pursued and were prepared to sign Verdugo early, floating $8M plus (but eventually used that same money for Tommy Pham and Andrew Heaney).

The Pirates got Pham for $4M. And yet there's Verdugo, who has a resume as good as Pham's over the last few years, signing for just $1.5M. Looks like Heyman has a point.

Verdugo signed his Yankees deal last year in early January, when teams still have money in their budgets to make decent expenditures. By the end of spring training, there's just not much left in the kitty.

Verdugo will now have his own makeshift 'spring training' by playing down in AAA for a month or more, trying to earn his way up to the Braves.