The Braves announced Thursday that they’ve signed veteran outfielder Alex Verdugo to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. With Opening Day just a week away, he consented to be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to ramp up. (Players gain the right to refuse an optional assignment once they accrue five years of MLB service.) Verdugo is represented by MVP Sports Group.
Just days ago, The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty reported that Verdugo had yet to receive a formal big league offer in free agency. That turned quickly. He’ll head straight to minor league camp and spend a bit of time in Gwinnett while he makes up for missing most of spring training, but he’ll be an option for Atlanta at some point in April.
The 28-year-old Verdugo (29 in May) is coming off the worst season of his big league career but was a steady regular with the Dodgers and Red Sox from 2019-23. Over that five-year period, he slashed a combined .283/.338/.432 with quality corner outfield defense. He may not have developed into the star some had hoped when the former second-round pick was widely regarded as a top-100 prospect, but Verdugo was a clear contributor on generally competitive clubs.
The 2024 season started out with more of the same. Traded to the Yankees last offseason, Verdugo came out of the gate hot, batting .275/.362/.450 in his first 141 plate appearances. He fell into a deep slump from that point forth and never recovered, however. From mid-May through season’s end, Verdugo’s .221/.270/.330 line was one of the least-productive in all of baseball among qualified hitters.
Last year’s prolonged struggles surely hindered Verdugo’s market. He was connected to teams like the Pirates, Angels and Astros throughout the winter, but all of those clubs either went another direction in the outfield or didn’t end up making an outfield addition at all. The Pirates instead decided it better to spread out their limited remaining resources across multiple players; they signed Tommy Pham ($4.05MM) and Andrew Heaney ($5.25MM) to one-year deals not long after being linked to Verdugo.
Verdugo heads to Atlanta on a lighter deal than most would’ve predicted back at the onset of free agency, providing some outfield depth at a time when Ronald Acuña Jr. is still rehabbing last year’s ACL tear while Jarred Kelenic continues to struggle. Offseason signee Jurickson Profar has also been banged up in camp, as it’s now been nearly two weeks since he was in an official game. Profar injured his wrist on a diving attempt in left field; he was diagnosed with a bone bruise, not a fracture, and is expected to be ready for Opening Day. Bone bruises are tricky injuries, the effects of which can sometimes linger longer than expected.
If the Braves can get everyone healthy, they’ll have some decisions to make. At full strength, the outfield would clearly be Profar in left, Michael Harris II in center and Acuña in right. Kelenic would fill a fourth outfield role in that setup, while Bryan De La Cruz — also on the 40-man roster — would likely reside in Triple-A as a depth piece.
Verdugo’s addition to the mix most directly threatens Kelenic’s role. Both are left-handed hitters who can handle center field but are probably better suited for corner work. (Verdugo certainly is.) Kelenic is a former top-10 pick and once ranked as one of the game’s 10 best prospects, but he’s never hit his stride in the majors after decimating minor league pitching.
The Braves acquired Kelenic from the Mariners in the 2023-24 offseason via a series of convoluted salary-dump trades that wound up seeing Atlanta take on around $25MM in dead money (plus nearly $7MM in luxury taxes) to purchase the former top prospect. They said from the jump that he’d receive regular playing time and would not be platooned, but by the end of camp he’d struggled enough against lefties that the Braves re-signed Adam Duvall to platoon with him. Kelenic’s first season with Atlanta resulted in a disappointing .231/.286/.393 slash. He’s followed that up with a .200/.282/.457 slash in 39 spring plate appearances.
Kelenic has a minor league option remaining. If he struggles, it’s feasible that Atlanta will try to get him on track in Gwinnett and switch him out for Verdugo, using the veteran Verdugo in that aforementioned fourth outfield role. It’s a low-cost depth gamble made possible by Verdugo’s lack of market to this point. There’s little harm in opportunistically adding to the depth at this price point; the Braves are now up to about $231MM of luxury obligations, per RosterResource, leaving them $10MM shy of the tax threshold.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post first reported that Verdugo and the Braves had agreed to a deal worth $1.5MM. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported that it was a one-year, major league contract.
I did not anticipate him going to Atlanta.
Heard hes replacing Arcia at SS
We can only hope
Arcia is a great player, very underrated. Verdugo was a nice sign, gives the Braves excellent OF depth. They are locked in everywhere but catcher.
Arcia is a great player?
Great?
It’s amazing that teams refuse to bring up young talent and would rather sign a bum. Verdooki is washed up. He can’t hit his weight and definitely can’t play LF.
Don’t like the signing either, but the Braves don’t have any “young talent” in the outfield. Absolutely none at the top 2 levels of the minors.
Did you just say that Arcia is great? Orlando Arcia? He is quite literally the worst everyday SS in all of baseball.
Judd_Skinner
He’s one of the worst offensively, but as a defender at SS he’s top 10. So he’s not the worst everyday SS in all of baseball because he’s a plus defender, but he’s definitely atrocious with the bat.
You might not see it in the stats but if you listen to the Braves games, he has some really good at bats. He also is a great fielder.
That is erroneous by a large margin, he is certainly one of the best defensive shortstops in the league. I think he is a better hitter than stats give him credit for.
Last season Arcia had a nice month at the plate at the right time, when the Braves needed it most. Taylor was hurt, Albies was hurt, Riley was hurt and Arcia turned it up. His ABs were a big part in keeping the Braves afloat.
Who is Taylor?
Heard Duggie’s allergic to centerfield, and his batting gloves
They’re new LFer. Good fielder and a string candidate for a bounce back with the bat. Should platoon him though.
String cheese incident
@LordDgg: Profar’s the LFer. Verdugo’s the 4th of’er at best—if he can beat out Kelenic.
That is literally what the article said
Never really was great with the bat
Yeah man, he was a good fielder for the Sox. He has the forward sliding catch down very well. He’s worth 1.5 for fielding ability.
I do agree with that in baseball money terms. His defense is great. Offense, not so much
RAJ placeholder
At first, then when Kelenic continues to be awful he’ll have a chance to take his spot if he plays better while filling in for Acuna.
I honestly think it is a solid move. He won’t need to be great to be an improvement over Kelenic. As long as he gets on base and makes contact to move runners in key spots that’ll likely be enough.
What am I talking about. I’m forgetting about Profar
Never mind
When Profar falls back to his normal Verdugo like offense, I’m sure it will be blamed on the bone bruise, and not that last season was a career year.
Should have taken the deal with the Pirates
Why you hating
He’s not hating, he’s probably referring to the fact that it was reported the pirates had discussed an 8 million dollar deal with him
It’s ok. We got Tommy Pham. Playoffs here we come. Yay
You laugh, but no one truly understands the playoff power of the Pham.
If they get within 8-10 games of a wc berth, it’ll be amazing
Pirates and playoffs? Who are they trading Pham too? As to AV, he likely never got that offer. Most probably his agent floated the number and the Pirates afterwards pivoted elsewhere. It’s good for Verdugo as another posted yesterday in that at least it continues his service clock and if he gets an opportunity, he can rebuild his value for next year.
The slapping power
Discussed isn’t really an offer.
he’s not hating and even if he was, why would you care?
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion
Not sure he ever got a solid offer from them.
@sugo
Didnt a reporter say pitt offered 8mil to verdugo?
Guys, read the article.
@vegas
This site usually just publishes a few brief sentences before the full article
Dont dump on people without full knowledge
You’re asking a lot!
@chandler It was only reported that they were considering giving an 8mil to him, but never confirmed if it was offered or declined
Yeah chandlers, as Kap said I only heard they were floating the idea. How close they got, we’ll probably never know.
As a Pirates fan, I salute his decision making skills. The beautiful ballpark, pierogi races and hot dog launches can wait.
As a Pirates fan – no thanks.
The Pirates giving 37 yo Pham $4.05m is just… sad. It’s one thing to be a fan of a team that doesn’t spend, and another entirely when that team can’t even handle small moves with anything resembling intelligence or purpose.
no one ever said that Cherington was intelligent or made moves with purpose
Good deal for the Braves.
For 1.5 million, it’s an easy yes for the Braves. I think Verdugo rebounds from his atrocious 2024 season.
Acoss he’d be hard pressed to be worse.
Well, worst case is he can get players barking in the dugout, so that’s ….something.
Clipper, on a whole other subject, it seems like I remember you discussing auto mechanics with another poster. Are you a mechanic? If so, I have an odd question.
Hobby mechanic. Nothing official, but I did stay in a holiday inn one time!
Good enough for me. I’m restoring an 82 Corvette and want to change the dash lights to led. I already changed the headlights (I don’t know how we die more often back in the day as the stock lights on old cars suck). As I only want to do this once as it’s an ordeal to change the tach/speedo lights, are all T10 leds equal or are some better than others?
Let me guess. You have a cream gray/silver Vette. I had a C6 for 13 years. Nice. But 80-82’s were the best.
Good luck
It’s supposed to be silver/dark claret with a red interior but whoever owned it before me had the bright idea to change it to dark claret/black with a black interior. It was done poorly so I’m restoring it to original. I am loving the car though. I have a buddy that owns a c6 grand sport and holy crap is that car fast.
Agreed. Loved it, although every Mustang and Subaru in the tri-state area wanted to race at the red light
Thanks
Joe, to be honest I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending a light because I just get mine from recommendations online. I’ve seen people say they’re happy with different ones but none that speak to the durability. More often people speak to the brightness (or lack thereof), or the dimming functionality.
I’ve seen some say they’re happy with superbrightleds.com orders, but I’ve never used them personally. I have read their customer service isn’t the greatest though.
I have a buddy who does restorations on vintage cars and when I speak to him I’ll ask if he knows of any that are reliable.
I had a 69 Camaro and 70 Chevelle, but I didn’t convert those to LEDs, although I understand why you want to. Those vintage dash lights are dim.
It’s awesome you’re doing that though, man! Keep the oldies riding around!
I have owned 5 Mustangs in my life.
66 289 3 speed. 99 GT 6 speed , 13 GT convertible, 6 speed, 12 GT convertible with 6 speed and
17 fastback with 6 speed. Was always a GT
Bouce back from what? Go look at at his stats for the last 5 years. Nothing but a steady decline.
roob- he will be the 2025 version of Joc Pederson.
Was Joc not good in 2023?
What year did Joc play for the Braves?
What major even happened in 2021 for the Braves?
Really signing all the aholes. Perfect fit for the Braves.
As predicted, AA has waited til the last minute to sign (marginal) players.
Show me on this doll where AA hurt you.
It is the little hole in the back.
It’s a big hole now
Is that doll’s nickname Flappy?
AA is playing 3D Hungry Hungry Hippos.
I was good at that game in my youth.
Goodbye Kelenic
Exactly. Kelenic was on shaky ground coming into this season. Now he has one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel.
Solaris: I never understood why AA was so eager to get Kelenic, like he was the missing piece to winning the WS.
C’mon — he gave up nothing (so far) to obtain him but cash. He was an expensive lottery ticket. You didn’t go pick-up a box of the 2024 Topps Chrome Update to for a fart-in-the-wind chance at sitting front row witnessing a 30-year car crash that is the Pirates?
Everyone thinks they can unlock the toolsy former top rated prospect. I get acquiring him, I just don’t understand all the money they took on to do it. Definitely one of the bigger busts of AA’s tenure.
If that’s his biggest bust then I’ll take it. Overpaying a 4th outfielder.
braves still paying paying $6.5M for Fletcher this season with $1.5M buyout next yr. Bad trade with Seattle taking on bad contracts and then trading bad contracts for Fletcher and Stassi. AA gambled on Kelenic and he lost. Once Verdgo ready they can send Kelenic to miners and keep him there.
$32MM is a lot of money that we could have used this offseason
I could have sworn one of the reasons Seattle moved Kelenic was that he was out of options. Suddenly he has an option? Considering how he has produced for Atlanta, what other reason would he have not been option by now?
The acquisition cost alone bought him some time, but compound that with the amount of injuries last year (Acuña mainly, but Harris II also), and he really was the best of their options, sadly. AA wants more assurances by getting de la Cruz, Verdugo, and even considering Eli White as a 4th OF-super UT guy. Considering how bad he’s looked in ST, his time is running out.
@stymeedone: “Suddenly he has an option?” Nothing sudden about it. He still has an option left because the one had at the time the Braves acquired him hasn’t been exercised by Atlanta. Easy to research if you try.
Yea hes gone.
Will be interesting to see how he gets along with Acuna.
Well I’d rather have this than banking on Profar to be productive outside of San Diego
“Well I’d rather have”…The Profar deal is one of the few from A.A that I didn’t like. That guy’s had like 2 halfway decent seasons after 10+ seasons in the big Leagues. And don’t even get me started on the fact that he’s never played well outside of San Diego.
Productive outside of SD — has Petco all of a sudden become a hitter’s park that doesn’t suppress offense? It’s not COL. If you can hit in SEA or SD — say it with me — you can… [everyone together] hit anywhere!
Without the well documented hitting adjustments, I don’t think AA has enough confidence in ’22 and ’24 stats to pull the trigger, but also, he spent 17M to take a flyer on Kelenic that feels like throwing cash in a barrel at this point, so I imagine there’s some frustration at just fixing the COF issue that ATL has had for years that also included an expensive “thank you” for Rosario’s ’21 playoff run.
Wow… $1.5M? That can’t be right. Or maybe it is and he was willing to take whatever deal he could get.
it’s crazy low for a decent starter
Verdugo’s only been a decent starter in 1 of the last 3 seasons, so it seems like a sensible price for him now.
@Sock
$1.5MM is apparently more than a rumored $8MM.
if this is the market value for him, that kind of settles the debates about whether he is a good player or not. I suppose the Market says from his recent numbers that he’s worth about $1.5MM and to be signed this late in ST. maybe he’ll show everyone that the Market is wrong but it’ll be up to him to prove it because the Market has spoken for now.
Drinking game: every time you say “market,” drink!
Anyone know what the current league minimum is?
$760,000, so Verdugo will be making just about exactly twice that.
The market “corrected” itself. He’s no longer overvalued.
Tommy Pham got a 1yr/4+M deal and the Red Sox Refsnyder at 1yr/$2M. I dont believe either are better than the other, if that makes sense. But Verdugo is a bit younger. It’s a good deal for the Braves even as a depth option.
woah unexpected
Desperate times, Desperate measures. Good luck Verdugo
Time to get a new agent, Alex.
For the haters, Philly roster was filled up
lol. Overflowing that one 1.5 with penalty will be 55 million with taxes in Philly.
It’s the Mike Moustakas contract.
You guys wanna hear a neat story about Alex Verdugo!?
Know too many already!
Yes!
I already know where this is going…
… on the highway to hell.
Klenic is on his way out…
MLB Outfielders for 500 Alex! The Answer is Six. How many outfielders will the Braves have when Ronald Acuna returns? Acuna, Harris II, Profar, Kelenic, De La Cruz, and now Alex Verdugo (Mr Wonderful). I don’t think Verdugo is a good fit for the Clubhouse and now there is no chance for any minor league outfielders to make the team. Question is, will they send Kelenic to Gwinnett? I think he has at least one option left!
The Braves don’t have any minor league outfielders worth adding to the team.
Are we looking at a Kelenic/De La Rosa/Verdugo LF platoon?
Kelenic is probably gone when Acuna returns.
I could hope for a Kelenic, A J S-S + one or 2 others to Padres for Dylan Cease! Make it happen AA. Meanwhile, back in Gotham City..Batman is available!
@Moonlight: No need for a LF platoon. Profar’s the starter there. The 3 you listed are the stop gap fill in RFers w/one of them being kept as the 4th OFer when Acuna returns.
Doogie rides again.
Rides like the one-eyed jack of diamonds with the devil close behind.
Good for Alex, maybe he’ll play hard now that he had to wait til the last week of spring training and take a significant paycut in the process
Fast forward to July: “Braves release Alex Verdugo”
He will quit at allstar break again
sucks for Braves fans
Why? He is making almost zero money and at the very minimum is a decent defender. You can do worse for a 4th or 5th outfielder.
1) you have to look at his face if he makes the team. 2) bad human
Drop the trope. He was great with the Yankees last year as a teammate and with the media. People can mature.
I have no idea how he is in the club house, I only have police reports to go off of.
@digdugler
1. That was actually pretty good, I can appreciate that one. 2. I actually hadn’t heard anything bad about him the past couple of years, I’m not saying you’re wrong though, I just don’t know the guy.
Have a good afternoon.
Lol
and I’m sure you’re just a beaut.
Verdugo had an $8M guarantee well within his reach, but perhaps he likes Atlanta better.
No, he just thinks he’s better and worth more than he really is.
To paraphrase what Tommy Lasorda once said about John Montefusco, I’d like to buy Verdugo for what I think he’s worth, and sell him for what he thinks he’s worth.
John “The Count” Montefusco
He agent thinks he’s worth more than he is. Or should be paid for past performances in future contracts
It’s a good deal for the Braves. I assume there’s an opt out for Verdugo if he’s not with the big league club by some point in April.
Being a turd of a human being cost him a lot of money!
Trevor Bauer has entered the chat
Do I hear Julio Urias entering?
I’d be surprised if there are no incentives.
Could be competition for the LF spot even when RAJ gets back. Kelenic is currently hitting .156 in ST
@usc88 A .156 BA and .688 OPS in 36 ST PA versus is irrelevant, comrade.
The Braves will be looking at preparation, diligence, quality of contact, pitch selection, pretty much everything other than a BA resulting from whether a couple of hard hit balls were shots at fielders or five hop grounders skipping by a split squad fill-in 3Bman.
The Braves have Kelenic for four more years, if they want him, and one more option to play with. No one here is playing for a job. The roles are already decided based on the health of Acuna and Profar. 2023-2024:
Kelenic 99 OPS+
Verdugo 91 OPS+
And given their similar platoon splits, with the iffy health of their two regulars this wasn’t about moving on from Kelenic. It was just the best depth move available to the Braves as of this week.
Teams rarely have competitions in Spring Training, though it’s the kind of chaff that makes for good stories in casual sports press and keeps casual fans interested. The sample sizes are far too small to be meaningful. Look plays far too great a role in baseball. The quality of competition is far too weak and too varied (with the average pitcher or hitter faced in ST at slightly better than AA-level) for results here to be taken seriously by the Braves.
Boy, I sure am glad Heart Attack Jack spelled all of that out for me, cuz Ima dummy.
This is a perfect example of your altitude is proportional to your attitude…Verdugo has a snarky attitude and Profar is the exact opposite and their contracts reflect that.
I think Verdugo will be a steal for the Braves at 1.5 million and he will look so much better than Profar especially when Profar reverts back to his anywhere but San Diego stats. Last season was an outlier for both of them…Verdugo played way down to expectation and Profar had a career year which he won’t get close to again.
It’s pro sports grow a pair.
Reverts back? Do tell…. In English.
I think 1.5 is a lot lower than he was expecting.
All this hate for Dugie because he shows some flair, ain’t afraid to say what’s on his mind, might be cocky alittle arrogant but he’s a pro athlete I like that tenacity. People want ball players to be robotic, emotionless, squeaky clean, bland, like Aaron Judge or Mike Trout 0 personality. Give me someone with some controversy someone more real not afraid to be themselves. His numbers should improve he’s only had 1 down year.
I don’t mind the flair and cockiness. I welcome it as well, but when you bat flip on a line-drive single when your team is down 6-1… eh, not a good look. That’s the stuff I didn’t like about Dugie in BOS.
The one thing we can say for duggie is at least he didn’t lick his baseball bat. That’s about it though.
I really didn’t like the move when the Yankees brought him in. He became hard not to like, until the blisters ruined his season, then it was easy bc he ended up hitting 230. But he definitely brings some fire.
Flair. Cocky. Arrogant. He sucks. He should lock that sheet up and throw away the key. Try humility.
Wow, I am surprised the Yankees didn’t bring him back for a solid glove protection in left for that amount. Maybe a bad clubhouse guy!
I see this sentiment a lot from Yankees fans. The player is not always about the money. They also want a path to the most playing time to help rebuild self-value. The Yankees won’t give Verdugo many reps even if they doubled or tripled the money of what the Braves offered.
He would be very smart to accept an assignment to triple A. Other than his own training. He’s yet ro face any kind of pitching.
He will easily out perform this deal. Not necessarily up to like 3 years/$42M or 5 years/$85M quality etc., but still- maybe like 2 years/$15M or 1 year$8.5M w some options, etc.? Either way- nothing but upside for Dugie at this point.
1.5 million seems like a bargain for Verdugo. When I look at my Mariners about ready to give Rowdy Tellez 1.5 million, I have to wonder how those two are getting the same money. Verdugo is certainly better than Mitch Haniger as well.
Does ice cube tour in atlanta?
Would be willing to bet Verdugo ends up being a bigger contributor this year than Profar.
@Lifetime: Hope you don’t bet much on that. A better bet might be betting against Verdugo surviving the season on the Braves 26 man roster.
And here we are only a month into the season and I was right.
he signed for 1.5 million? why would the Reds not bring him in? their OF is gonna be terrible again unless Austin Hays does something
Glad he found a job
Double A deal at his best!
Yep
That’s about what he’s worth
B
A would been minor league deal but otherwise can’t get him much cheaper. If his hands don’t rot off he could be a solid get.
An Alex special, bargain priced. Verdugo fighting for his baseball life…. A great depth piece, Acuna will be gradually integrated, Verdugo could get playing time….Hey, Verdugo isn’t chop liver, the Bronx is not an easy place to play… good signing…
How pissed off is Judge that Brian Cashman didn’t bring back his buddy?
Not at all. Drama much?
Who did the Braves lose in the disastrous Kelenic deal?
Only money—-about $29M. Nothing really.
Chasing the 10 years of service down…..
Not sure why the reds stayed away from him.
As a 30 year Braves fan I hate this signing. We already have enough head cases on the team. I do not see this working out well. I guess I will look forward to Riley the return of Strider and cannot wait to see what Baldwin can do!
Talk about falling fast. He was the big return for the Betts trade. Sox fans were supposed to be excited about him. He played his way out of Boston. Boston traded him to their hated rival which says a lot. Why would you trade anyone who you thought had value to your biggest rival?
A year later after having a very unremarkable season and looking completely overmatched in the final out of the World Series he looking for a job.
Maybe he figures it out and actually has potential that everyone said. More likely he’s fighting to stay in the league.
Craig Hansen must be in the Atlanta area to do another special
I mean obviously Chris Hansen
Take a seat. Just take a seat right there.
Good addition for that price tag.
Total Stats (2020–2024)
Home Runs: Kelenic (47), De La Cruz (59), Verdugo (56) Kelenic started in 2021, same as De La Cruz.
RBIs: Kelenic (155), De La Cruz (209), Verdugo (267)
OPS: Kelenic (.663), De La Cruz (.705), Verdugo (.740)
Slugging: Kelenic (.382), De La Cruz (.408), Verdugo (.413)
OBP: Kelenic (.281), De La Cruz (.297), Verdugo (.327)
Per-Season Averages
Home Runs: Kelenic (11.8), De La Cruz (14.8), Verdugo (~11.2)
RBIs: Kelenic (38.8), De La Cruz (52.3), Verdugo (~53.4)
OPS: Kelenic (.663), De La Cruz (.705), Verdugo (.740)
Slugging: Kelenic (.382), De La Cruz (.408), Verdugo (.413)
OBP: Kelenic (.281), De La Cruz (.297), Verdugo (.327)
Alex Verdugo has the best statistics over the last five seasons when considering RBIs, OPS, home runs, slugging, and OBP holistically. He leads outright in RBIs (267), OPS (.740), slugging (.413), and OBP (.327), and while he’s slightly behind De La Cruz in total home runs (56 vs. 59), his per-season home run rate (11.2) is close to Kelenic’s (11.8) despite playing more games. Verdugo’s consistency over five full seasons, higher OPS, and superior OBP give him the edge. De La Cruz is a strong contender, particularly in home runs and RBIs per season, but his lower OBP and OPS keep him in second place. Kelenic, while promising, ranks third due to fewer games and weaker overall numbers.
Although I am not fussed about Verdugo being a Brave, he provides an excellent depth option and bench piece for little outlay by the Braves. I like De La Cruz as well as he has real power, but maybe he just requires slightly more consistency. Kelenic needs to lift his game if he wants to stay on the roster, but he’s still young, hasn’t turned 26 yet. Alex is about to turn 29, so I wouldn’t say he’s washed just yet.
Throw some pearls around his neck and he’s the long lost distant cousin of Joc Pederson!
It’s bad when even the Marlins don’t grab you for 1.5M. Time to think about other alternatives.
Finally our long national nightmare is over!
Atlanta already paid nearly $32 million (including tax implications) to acquire Kelenic, effectively making him a sunk cost. But instead of being tied to that investment, they’re hedging it by signing Verdugo, a player with a very similar skill set, at a fraction of the cost. If Kelenic finally breaks out, great. If not, Verdugo—who has a far more stable track record—can seamlessly step in, all while keeping the team below the luxury tax threshold.