Whatever ill will Alex Verdugo harbored has subsided.
The left fielder felt some anger when Boston first traded him to the Yankees for three pitchers in December. Even after a tumultuous, mediocre season, Verdugo couldn’t believe the Red Sox had sent him to their bitter rival.
Did they really want to get rid of him that badly after four years?
“The genuine reaction was mad,” Verdugo said over the offseason. “I was hot.”
However, it didn’t take long for Verdugo and the Yankees to embrace each other.
In the months since the trade, the 28-year-old has stabilized a position of tremendous need, become a change-of-pace cleanup hitter, provided exuberance in the clubhouse, and emerged as a fan favorite in the Bronx while hitting .263/.317/.428 with eight home runs, 35 RBI and a 110 OPS+ as of Wednesday.
Irritation has been replaced by joy, laughter and lots of barking after Verdugo referred to the Yankees as dogs earlier in the season.
“He’s been really good between the lines,” Aaron Boone recently said. “I don’t want to gloss over just how good he’s played in left field and just a lot of big hits. I feel like he’s even swung the bat better than his numbers would suggest. But there’s just a humorous edge that he brings to the park every day that his teammates feed off of.”
Now Verdugo is getting ready for his return to Fenway Park, where the Yankees begin a three-game series on Friday. He expects to be treated like a villain, though hopefully not right away.
“I don’t know what it’s gonna be like, but I obviously expect a lot of energy,” Verdugo told the Daily News. “A lot of trash talking. I’m just kind of hoping that maybe the first initial reaction is a little bit of a cheer.
“At least have some love in there, and then shower the boos later.”
Verdugo added that this will be a “special” series for him, and that he cherished his former uniform and fanbase. He’s looking forward to seeing old teammates and coaches.
That includes Alex Cora.
It’s no secret that the two quarreled, especially last year, when the Red Sox manager benched Verdugo twice. The first came on June 8 after Verdugo failed to hustle on the basepaths.
This spring, Verdugo noted that he played through minor injuries in 2023. He said that those “probably” contributed to his lack of hustle at times.
“He definitely could have been, and that makes sense,” Dodgers lefty James Paxton, who pitched in Boston last year, told The News. “I know that guys do that when they’re kind of working through stuff.”
The second benching came on Aug. 5 when Verdugo reportedly showed up late before a game. As a youngster, ex-Dodgers teammate Rich Hill scolded him for the same reason.
Asked why he arrived late last season, Verdugo initially told The News, “That’s a reach.” Asked if he wanted to correct any previous reports, he said “the past is the past” before owning up to “simple miscommunication.”
“We could chalk it up as I misread the schedule,” Verdugo said. “That’s really as simple as it is, man. I wasn’t trying to be late and show up late on purpose. I’m not that kind of guy. I just thought I had a little bit more time and read the schedule wrong. That was a fault on my end.
“I understood why [Cora] did it, why he took me out, all that. I get it, and I wasn’t even mad about that. I was more mad at myself for misreading it. At the end of the day, it is what it is. That’s about it on that.”
Following that benching, Cora expressed disappointment in Verdugo, who came to the Red Sox as the centerpiece of the Mookie Betts trade in 2020. There were other instances where the manager publicly challenged or criticized Verdugo.
Upon joining the Yankees, the candid Verdugo took a not-so-subtle shot at Cora’s style when he highlighted Boone’s reputation for defending players.
“Instead of airing people out, have their backs,” Verdugo said without mentioning Cora’s name.
Verdugo practiced more diplomacy when discussing Cora in spring training. He did the same prior to this weekend’s reunion while mentioning that he and the skipper have talked since the trade.
“As a person, as a coach, as a dad, I respect him a lot,” Verdugo said. “I appreciate him and everything that he did [during] the time that we had together. How it ended, do I feel like it was the right way? No, I feel like it kind of muddied up the waters a little bit. But as far as me and him go, I’ll say what’s up to him and I’ll dab him up. Hope all his kids are doing good and everything. This is a game, and we kind of butted heads about the game a little bit. But off the field and as a person and a human being, I got nothing bad to say about him. I’m excited to see him.
“I just want to close that chapter. Me and AC, we’re not on bad terms… We’re both grown men. We can put our stuff in the past, and we move forward.”
In New York, Verdugo seems better understood in a locker room led by Aaron Judge, who advocated for the fellow outfielder’s acquisition.
However, Verdugo pushed back against the perception that Boston didn’t accept his eccentric nature, stating that he felt “really close” with his Red Sox teammates. He said that they regularly hung out and that he’ll be “bullsh–ting and talking” with them this weekend.
“Dugie’s Dugie, man,” said Paxton, who also played for the Yankees from 2019-2020. “It’s a big personality. I enjoyed him. I had a great time with Dugie. I think that he’s a great player and brings a lot of energy.
“It seems like, from what I’ve seen from the outside, he’s really done a lot of maturing in New York.”
Verdugo added that he didn’t think the Red Sox had chemistry issues last season, when they finished with a losing record and in last place.
“We needed some more things,” he said. “We needed some more pieces to the puzzle to really get the picture kind of shown.”
Needs are less pressing for the 2024 Yankees.
While they could shore up a few parts of their roster, they look like juggernauts atop the American League East. Meanwhile, the Red Sox are hovering around .500.
Verdugo has made significant contributions to the Bombers’ campaign, and he’s certainly comfortable with the team.
However, he’s an impending free agent, and the Yankees could turn to outfield prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones in an effort to reduce payroll next season. Verdugo is aware of that possibility after spending time with both in spring training, but he hopes to wear pinstripes beyond 2024.
After a rocky finish in Boston, he now feels at home.
“It’s been incredible,” Verdugo said of his Yankees experience. “Fans are awesome. They’re friggin’ barking out there. You’ve got ‘Beware of Dog’ signs out there! They’ve been cool.
“I know that when you win, it obviously helps out a lot, too. But realistically, it’s been a lot of fun here. It’s been a great time, and I’d like to stay.”
