The Atlanta Braves have bolstered their outfield ahead of the new season, signing former New York Yankee Alex Verdugo on March 20. According to reports, the outfielder has agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
The first to break the news was MLB insider Jon Heyman, before MLB's official page on X confirmed the move.
"Braves, OF Alex Verdugo reportedly agree to one-year deal, per @MLBNetwork insider @JonHeyman" the post was captioned
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Verdugo had a tough 2024 campaign in New York, at least in terms of offensive production. Aaron Judge's former teammate finished the regular season with a .233 batting average, along with 13 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Despite reaching baseball's showpiece event, the World Series, he and his teammates ultimately ended up empty-handed, as the Los Angeles Dodgers took the series 4-1. Following the season, Verdugo officially entered free agency.
Former Boston Red Sox coach claims Atlanta Braves will be serious NL East contenders, with Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley set to return to full fitness
In 2024, the Atlanta Braves endured a season to forget, failing to win the NL East for the first time since 2017 and crashing out in the first postseason hurdle. A major reason for many of their struggles was the injuries plaguing key players—Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley.
With the trio set to return to full fitness in the 2025 season, former Boston Red Sox coach Ruben Amaro Jr. backed the Braves to be serious contenders in their division once again.
"They (Atlanta) were hurt a lot [in 2024]," Amaro said (Timestamp: 41:50). "They were losing major players, Riley got hurt. He's an MVP-caliber player almost every year, same thing with Olson, same thing with Acuna Jr. These guys are on the field, look out brother, because these guys can play."
"You can't sleep on these guys, you got Jurickson Profar playing in left field every day, that's another addition that [adds plenty of quality to the lineup]. Atlanta, they're not the favorite for me, but theres a lot of reasons why you would like them, especially with them bouncing back."
Heading into the new season, fans will be hoping things turn out exactly how Amaro has predicted, and the Atlanta Braves can re-establish their dominance on the NL East.
