Alex Verdugo opens up about Boston, New York
NEW YORK - Wednesday, there will be plenty of talk about a player the Red Sox traded away this offseason. That's thanks to Chris Sale pitching against his old team.
But 864 miles away, there was another big-name player the Red Sox dealt away following the 2023 season that was already creating some buzz ... even before leading to his Yankees to a rout of the Astros in the Bronx.
One look at a clean-shaven Alex Verdugo smiling his way through the Yankees' clubhouse Tuesday afternoon - or listening to the testimonials from his new teammates - painted a rosy picture for the outfielder. And when Verdugo exited the premises the owner of three hits (including his fifth home run), the optimism was only cemented.
Life is good for Verdugo.
"I feel good," he told WEEI.com prior to his team improving to 24-13. "Obviously, I feel like the same person really throughout wherever I have been. It just feels good. Having a new team you’re not really sure how it’s going to go and for me coming over here, these guys were open arms. They’re a great bunch of guys who are very close. They hang out with each other off the field. They do pregame stuff together. Postgame stuff together. It’s just a very close-knit group and for them to let me part of that, and just let me be me - the craziness that I bring - they have been really cool. I think it’s something that has made this transition super easy. It feels like club ball again, when you’re excited to go to the field. You’re excited to see all these guys and compete against other teams."
It all seems so simple for Verdugo these days. It's quite a juxtaposition from his four-year tenure in Boston.
He arrived as with the burden that was living life as centerpiece of the package sent from the Dodgers in exchange for Mookie Betts. Throughout his time as the Sox' starting right fielder he served more as a solution than a problem for the majority of the four seasons, finishing his tenure as a Red Sox with a combined .281 batting average and .761 OPS with 43 homers. It was a stretch that was highlighted with a 2021 postseason that saw him .310 with an .835 OPS.
But then came the not-so-simple times. More specifically, his 2023 season.
Verdugo was benched by Red Sox manager Alex Cora multiple times, once for a perceived lack of hustle and another time for reportedly showing up to work later than the team desired. And then, after the trade with the Yankees was completed, came Verdugo's parting salvo when talking about his new manager, Aaron Boone: “I’m very excited to work with Aaron. I’ve seen the way he has his players’ backs. The one that really [sticks out] to me is, ‘These guys are savages!’ He’s yelling at the umpire. That’s something I want to see out of my [manager], man. I want to see some fire, some fight for the guys. Instead of airing people out, have their backs.”
Needless to say, the comments didn't sit well with many in Red Sox circles.
In his reflection Tuesday, Verdugo touched on the topic once again.
"I like Boonie a lot. He has just been one of those guys I feel like he’s going to push me but he also has my back," he said. "I can have maybe some conversations with him where if he is upset with me not doing something it can be in-house or we just get talked to a little up-close. But really it sucks because I still like AC. I don’t have anything against him. It was how it was handled with us. We started butting heads at the end of it. It happens. It’s part of it. Both of it, we’re competitors. He wanted the most out of me and he wanted the team to win so I understand where a lot of it came from.
"Honestly, it is one of those things where it’s nice to have a fresh start. At the same time, I’m happy and proud to still be able to say I played a chapter of my career in Boston. To play in front of that crowd … That stadium is still my favorite field to go to. It was nice for those four seasons. It was special. I wish we would have won more. It would have made it a little better. Obviously, we’re on to the next chapter. But I’m very grateful for everywhere, from the Dodgers to the Red Sox and now here."
Thus far in pinstripes, Verdugo looks like the best version of himself. It was an image he portrayed at times throughout his final season with the Red Sox, but certainly not in the waning months.
The distractions. The discord. The disagreements. It all offered an uncomfortable swan song in a Red Sox uniform for Verdugo, who would hit just .171 with a .503 OPS in September.
"I was going through a lot last year," he said. "Last year was a very personal year for me. Obviously, battling through my grandmother getting cancer and passing away eventually, and then my mom being diagnosed with it. I was just in a very, very vulnerable bad spot. My mind was all over the place instead of really what was at hand. I felt like each and every day was a constant grind. I was just blessed my mom is super strong and encourages and makes it easier for other people not to stress. She is just very strong in the way she handles her things. I was in just a different mentality and mind-spot than I had ever been in. It felt like there was time I needed an uplifting. I needed this, or I needed that. It was just kind of like, in a sense, reversed. He’s not running down the line or this and that and it’s not staying in house. It’s being everywhere. I don't hold any hard feelings. I take responsibility for what I have done, too. At the end of the day I’m in a better spot mentally with my family and health-wise we’re in a better spot. I also feel like that has something to do with the little bit of how I can be back to normal, in a way."
Verdugo's comments and explanations Tuesday were the first offered up regarding his exit from Boston since living his new existence as a Yankee. But he also realizes it won't be his last, with a return to Fenway Park looming when New York comes to town June 14.
According to the outfielder, even with all the previous uneasiness and potential unkown, it's a reunion he is looking forward to.
"I’m excited," Verdugo said. "They have a really good team over there. All the guys over there I played with, they’re all good. They know me. I know them. It’s going to be a nice competition. At the end of the day we’re just going to try and go out there and do what we do every day. We just try to control the at-bats, control strikes and put good swings on the ball. I know I will be saying what’s up to everyone over there. Once the game starts we’ll lock it in."