Cleveland Guardians Could Pursue Yankees Fan Favorite In Free Agency

The Cleveland Guardians could realistically make a play for this New York Yankees outfielder in free agency.

Aug 11, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Alex Verdugo (24) singles during the fifth inning against the Texas Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians are typically not known for spending a lot of money, as evidenced by the fact that they rank 23rd in the MLB in payroll this season.

As a result, the Guardians are never really major players in free agency and generally have to rely on shrewd, cost-effective signing to fill out their roster.

That's why New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo would represent a perfect target for Cleveland in free agency this coming offseason.

Verdugo signed a one-year deal with the Yankees last winter and will almost certainly not be back in New York next season unless he wants to accept a fourth outfielder role. The Yanks will likely re-sign Juan Soto, and with Jasson Dominguez almost guaranteed to be on the roster in 2025, that makes Verdugo the odd man out.

Enter the Guardians, who could absolutely use the slick-fielding Verdugo in their outfield.

Verdugo is having a bit of an off year with the bat, slashing .237/.297/.368 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI over 500 plate appearances. However, he owns a respectable lifetime slash line of .274/.330/.419 and consisently posts double-digit homers each season.

It should also be noted that Verdugo's peripherals demonstrate that he has been pretty unlucky in 2024, as his .259 BABIP is well below his career BABIP average of .304 (and also considerably below the league average of .290). The only concern is that his line-drive percentage (16.9 percent) has dipped from his career average of 20.7 percent, which could explain the low BABIP.

Regardless, Verdugo is still just 28 years old, so it seems hard to imagine that his bat has fallen off a cliff this soon.

But the true draw for Verdugo is his glove. Verdugo is one of the better defensive outfielders in baseball, as evidenced by his 6.5 UZR/150 and 5 DRS this year. He can also play all three outfield positions, although he is more suited to the corner spots.

One of the biggest holes for Cleveland this season has been its outfield production, as both Tyler Freeman and Will Brennan have struggled mightily. Plus, trade deadline acquisition Lane Thomas has been a bust thus far, and Steven Kwan has cratered over the last couple of months after a scintillating start to the season.

The Guardians have gotten a spark from rookie outfielder Jhonkensy Noel, but whether or not he maintains his performance remains to be seen. And even if he does, Cleveland still needs more pieces.

Verdugo will likely be very affordable. He signed an $8.7 million deal with the Yankees for 2024, and based on his scanty production this season, he almost surely won't be getting any more than that next year.

The Tucson, Az. native seems to be right up the Guardians' alley in free agency.