Yankees flop Alex Verdugo signs with Braves to end drawn-out free agency

Alex Verdugo has a new home after all. The ex-Yankees outfielder signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Braves on Thursday, according to The Post’s Jon Heyman, ending a drawn-out free agency for the veteran. Verdugo will begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, per Heyman. The new deal comes just days after The Athletic reported that Verdugo, 28, hadn’t received a major-league offer yet with roughly a week to go before league-wide Opening Day. Yankees star Aaron Judge said he was “surprised” that Verdugo hadn’t caught on with a team so late in the spring. “He’s such a great player,” Judge told the outlet.“He brings so much value and versatility to a team.”Verdugo’s play for the Bronx Bombers last season wasn’t so great, though. In his first and only season in New York, Verdugo hit .233/.291/.356 with just 13 home runs in 621 plate appearances while spending most of his time in left field. Before the Dodgers’ World Series-clinching Game 5 victory, Verdugo expressed desire to wear pinstripes again beyond the 2024 season. “I know it wasn’t my best personal year on offense,” Verdugo said before the fateful Game 5.“I think there would be [the possibility] that maybe one day we can come back — if it’s not next year, maybe it’s another year.

But I would like to come back and just show the type of player that I really am.I think we’ve seen it defensively, seen it at times offensively, but I’m usually a lot more consistent.”Instead, the Yankees are likely to hand the Opening Day left field spot to youngster Jasson Dominguez. The franchise also traded for Cody Bellinger, who will spend most of his time in center field with Judge shifting to right....