Former Yankee Banished From Bronx Offers Explanation For Disastrous Season

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JON VANKIN is a journalist and writer. He is the author of five nonfiction books and nine graphic novels. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Salon, the L.A. Weekly and dozens of other publications and he has received numerous awards and honors including three New England Press Association awards.

In connection with his work, Vankin has made numerous media appearances on such networks as CNN, CNBC, FOX, the BBC and the CBC as well as hundreds of radio stations and podcasts.

Vankin in his wide-ranging career has also served as an editor of comic books and newspapers. He is the editor of the NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLING graphic novel GET JIRO! by the late, great Anthony Bourdain. He co-wrote the hit Off Broadway musical FOREVER DUSTY, and served as a sportswriter and editor at The Daily Yomiuri, the English-language edition of Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, in Tokyo.

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The saga of Alex Verdugo made for one of the most protracted dramas of the offseason. The 28-year-old veteran tested free agency for the first time after one season with the New York Yankees, and reportedly received zero offers. The Yankees themselves made no attempt to keep Verdugo around.

The free agency nightmare for the onetime top prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers system finally ended March 20 when the Atlanta Braves offered him a $1.5 million, one year deal — a huge step down from the $9.2 million he made in his lone year with the Yankees. And the deal required that Verdugo start his season in the minor leagues.

Former New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 27: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the MLB game at Chase Field on April 27, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Verdugo was finally called up by the Braves on April 17, and since then has been hitting at a respectable clip. After 14 games, he raised his OPS to .825.

Though he has yet to hit a home run after 13 for the Yankees last year and the same number for the Boston Red Sox in 2023, Verdugo has collected an impressive 19 hits, including seven doubles, and six walks in 65 plate appearances.

Whether Verdugo will stick in the Braves starting lineup, or with the team at all, once 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. returns from injury remains an open question. But for now, Verdugo seems to have righted his personal ship after a single year in the Bronx that can only be called a disaster.

After a respectable April when he smacked four home runs and compiled a healthy .804 OPS for the month, the Tucson, Arizona, native appeared to fall off a cliff. He posted a .687 OPS in May and it was mostly downhill from there.

More MLB: Ex-Yankee With 'Off-Field Issues' Expected Back in Majors After Braves Shocker

His Yankees postseason offered no redemption. Across three series, he managed just 10 hits and seven walks in 56 trips to the plate, with only three extra-base hits, though one was a homer.

Speaking to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Verdugo this week offered an explanation for the sorry, season-long performance that got him run out of the Bronx.

"I deviated from my plan and got a little lost in my own self," Verdugo told the longtime MLB insider, explaining further that with the Yankees, he was overly focused on producing immediate results rather than exhibiting the plate discipline that had marked his hitting approach to that point.

Rosenthal wrote on Tuesday that Verdugo became "too rotational" in his swing, leading to "weak contact."

The Red Sox must have seen something about Verdugo's approach they didn't like. When they traded him to their arch-rival Yankees following the 2023 season — receiving righty pitchers Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert and Nicholas Judice in return — it was only the eighth trade between the two clubs since divisional play began in 1969.

The 2024-2025 offseason saw one more Red Sox-Yankees trade, when New York sent catcher Carlos Narvaez to Boston in exchange for pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and cash.

More MLB: Yankees Castoff Ignored in Free Agency May Soon Get Dumped by Braves

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About the writer

JON VANKIN is a journalist and writer. He is the author of five nonfiction books and nine graphic novels. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Salon, the L.A. Weekly and dozens of other publications and he has received numerous awards and honors including three New England Press Association awards.

In connection with his work, Vankin has made numerous media appearances on such networks as CNN, CNBC, FOX, the BBC and the CBC as well as hundreds of radio stations and podcasts.

Vankin in his wide-ranging career has also served as an editor of comic books and newspapers. He is the editor of the NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLING graphic novel GET JIRO! by the late, great Anthony Bourdain. He co-wrote the hit Off Broadway musical FOREVER DUSTY, and served as a sportswriter and editor at The Daily Yomiuri, the English-language edition of Japan's largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun, in Tokyo.

Writers Page

JON VANKIN is a journalist and writer. He is the author of five nonfiction books and nine graphic novels. His ... Read more