Since joining the New York Yankees, Alex Verdugo has gone from rival to idol in the eyes of the Bronx faithful. His presence is an undeniable factor on the loaded New York roster, but is there a place for him on it next season? There’d better be. With the X-factor he brings to the team, the Yankees need to find a way to re-sign Alex Verdugo in the offseason.
The Yankees Must Re-Sign Alex Verdugo
Heart of a Dawg
When outfielder Alex Verdugo was traded to the Yankees this past offseason, expectations were minimal. Most fans assumed he’d be nothing more than a one-year rental, a stop-gap until Jasson Dominguez returned. The trade itself was an afterthought compared to the blockbuster deal to bring in Juan Soto. Six months later, he’s the heart and soul of the franchise and the New York faithful can’t get enough of him and his “dawg” mentality.
Alex Verdugo credits watching Juan Soto and calling him a dawg as the partial inspiration for the Dawgs nickname
The cultural impact that Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Marcus Stroman have had on the Yankees has been priceless pic.twitter.com/Y5gsrntQU2
— Joey (@DJLeMVP) May 6, 2024
For a short-term solution, he’s been everything Yankees fans could’ve hoped for and more. With a batting line of .261/.315/.425 and 41 RBI through 72 games, his impact has been undeniable. The question is, has he played his way into the team’s future plans?
Can The Yankees Re-Sign Him?
Yes, they could re-sign him if they wanted to. The type of money that he’d be asking for isn’t on the level of Gerrit Cole or Aaron Judge, which is honestly a welcome sign for an organization with a hefty payroll. The better question is whether they want to.
While his performance has been above and beyond, that doesn’t change the fact that the Yankees front office has its own agenda for moving forward. At the top of that list is handing a blank check over to Juan Soto and telling him money is not an object to make sure he signs a long-term deal. Verdugo’s been good, but Soto’s been great, there’s no argument there. Now assuming the Soto deal gets done, that pencils him and Judge into two lineup cards for a very long time. Throw in that the team’s top two prospects (Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones) are outfielders who are almost MLB-ready, and it’s hard to envision the Yankees having a consistent role for Verdugo.
What The Future Holds
Chemistry is such a hard thing to find in sports. It seems to be what separates top-notch contenders and overpaid pretenders. This Yankees team has that chemistry, and it seems Verdugo is a big reason why. Since his tenure in pinstripes began, the team has seemed more passionate than it has in recent years, and that is no coincidence. Verdugo’s heart-on-his-sleeve playing style has infected the rest of the roster, and a player like that is hard to find these days.
Hopefully, New York and Verdugo can work out a deal, but it seems unlikely at this time. Plans change all the time, and maybe Verdugo goes bananas in the second half of the season and forces the Yankees to lock him into an extension, but it seems more likely that GM Brian Cashman will let him walk. So, Yankees fans, appreciate the “Year of the Dawg” while you can. It’s sure to be a memorable one.
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