It seems Alex Verdugo has left chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom pleased with the return the Boston Red Sox have received in a trade for outfielder Mookie Betts and pitcher David Price.
The trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers became official on Monday night, sending Alex Verdugo, Jeter Downs and Connor Wong to Boston. Bloom praised the Boston-bound Verdugo during a press conference Monday in Fort Myers, Fla.
“Alex Verdugo is a really talented baseball player on both sides of the ball,” Bloom said. “He can really hit and it’s not just, he has power, but it’s not just power. He’s a really good hitter. And then defensively, he can play all three (outfield) positions. He’s a very talented outfielder, tremendous arm. (He) really showed himself in last year’s very impressive full-season debut, and showed himself to be a really talented player.”
The 23-year-old Verdugo has appeared in the big leagues each of the last three seasons, playing 106 games with the Dodgers in 2019. In those 106 games, Verdugo hit .294 with 12 home runs and tallied 44 RBIs.
“His instincts for the game are very good,” Bloom said of Verdugo. “He loves to play, loves to compete. He brings a lot of very good things to the table.”
The acquisition of Verdugo, Downs and Wong has led Bloom to believe that Boston can compete in the 2020 season. We’ll see if he’s right when they Sox kick off the regular season March 26.
