A few players could be available for the Cleveland Guardians to sign on the waivers, including former New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo.
Verdugo is in a strange spot in his career after being designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves last month. Ultimately, despite a disappointing past year and a half, Verdugo is still a Major League Baseball-caliber player and could regain form if given another opportunity with a team with a chance to make the postseason.
When searching for who that team could be, Kerry Miller linked the Guardians to the left-handed-hitting outfielder.
“He did have a pair of four-hit games almost immediately after getting called up and ended April with a .341 batting average. As soon as Profar was eligible to return, though, Atlanta kicked Verdugo and his 213 plate appearances without a single home run to the curb.
“And there he sits once again, unsigned for over a month at this point, even as teams like the Guardians, Royals and Phillies could put just about any warm body with outfield experience to some use,” Miller wrote.
Verdugo’s offensive production in recent years is undoubtedly the reason why he hasn’t been on a team full-time, as he also struggled to find a roster spot during the winter.”
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However, if he can continue to play the outfield at a high level and even have an 85-plus OPS+, there’s a good chance a team could view him as a valuable piece.
The Guardians have given themselves not only an opportunity to make the playoffs, but also to win the division. They still have six games to play against the Detroit Tigers, and are 6.5 games back in the American League Central.
