Alex Verdugo Reveals Offseason Desire After ‘OK’ Red Sox Season

If Alex Verdugo has it his way, he will be wearing a Red Sox uniform in the 2024 Major League Baseball season.

Verdugo endured an up-and-down 2023 campaign, a common theme for the veteran outfielder since he was traded to Boston in 2020. The 27-year-old went from garnering some All-Star buzz early in the summer to receiving a late-season benching on what was a borderline rock-bottom day for the Red Sox.

Still, Verdugo boasts a very appealing skill set and his expiring contract theoretically could make him a trade option for Boston over the offseason. But the seven-year pro hopes to keep playing at Fenway Park.

“Hopefully I stay here with the Red Sox,” Verdugo told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “I love this organization. I have made it clear to them. Obviously, getting a new GM we’re not too sure where we’re going with it. I do know at the end of the day you just have to work hard, play hard.”

If Verdugo does stick around, the Red Sox will enter the 2024 season with a solid outfield. Boston would be in a pretty good spot with Verdugo, Masataka Yoshida and perhaps highly touted prospect Ceddanne Rafaela, especially from an offensive standpoint.

But as Verdugo touched on, it will be tough to gauge the Red Sox’s offseason approach until the club organizes its new front office. We could gain a better read on Verdugo’s future once Chaim Bloom is officially replaced.