Braves, Verdugo agree to 1-year, $1.5M deal

The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million, the club announced Thursday.

The Braves subsequently optioned Verdugo to Triple-A Gwinnett. Atlanta largely made the move to get Verdugo at-bats after he missed almost all of spring training, a source told ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

Verdugo spent the 2024 season with the New York Yankees but had a softer-than-anticipated free-agent market this winter.

Reports earlier this week indicated that Verdugo had yet to receive a major-league contract offer at any point during the offseason.

Verdugo struggled at the plate last season, slashing .233/.291/.356 with 13 home runs, 28 doubles, and 61 RBIs across 149 games with the Yankees.

The 28-year-old owns a career 101 OPS+ with 70 home runs, 409 runs scored, and 316 RBIs across eight MLB seasons between the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Verdugo will give Braves manager Brian Snitker another outfield option behind Michael Harris, Jarred Kelenic, and Jurickson Profar to start the regular season. Braves superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is expected to miss at least the campaign's first month as he continues to recover from a knee injury that ended his 2024 season early.