Miami Marlins possibly out on rumored target

A few months ago, MLB.com made a bold prediction for the Miami Marlins. They predicted that The Fish would sign Alex Verdugo this off-season. This hasn't happened yet, but we did see The Fish now need to sign starting pitchers. What will happen next? Will The Fish still sign Verdugo to bolster the questionable OF mix? Will Verdugo end up signing elsewhere?

Are the Miami Marlins still after Alex Verdugo?

Alex Verdugo is surely not the name that most Miami Marlins fans had in mind when hoping for a major acquisition this off-season. After all, he's coming off of a season in which he batted .233/.291/.356, with 13 home runs and 61 RBI in 149 games and 559 AB. He was worth just 0.8 WAR for the New York Yankees.

It's important to point out, that despite his offensive limitations, Verdugo is still a good defender. He also was better in the 2023 season. That season, he batted .264/.324/.421 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI in 142 games and 546 AB. He was worth 2.6 WAR for that production with the Boston Red Sox. Verdugo's career batting line is also .272/.328/.414, so he's definitely capable of doing better than he did in the 2024 season.

Recent reports indicate that the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels are interested in him. This is not welcome news for the Marlins, as both of those teams typically spend more than The Fish on players. This would mean that it's not very likely that we'll see Peter Bendix outbidding them for Verdugo's services.

We of course don't know how much each team is willing to spend on Alex Verdugo, or which team he would prefer to play for. He would presumably bat higher in the batting order with The Fish, and have a chance to be traded to a contender mid-season. He'd be buried with the Angels, and the Astros have significantly declined this off-season. Time will tell which team will ultimately end up with Alex Verdugo this off-season. Maybe it will be the Miami Marlins, you never know right?