The New York Yankees had been through a pretty tough time in recent years. They signed new players, but those purchases were not fruitful. For instance, in the previous winter, the Bronx Bombers landed Carlos Rodon for $162 million. He had an impressive resume. Hence, the NY side was very hopeful about the skills of the pitcher. But Rodon had been the biggest disappointment in the 2023 season. Since then, the Pinstripes have been acting a bit apprehensive about signing Blake Snell for a very long-term deal. But everybody knows that Snell is the perfect choice to fit alongside Gerrit Cole as a starting pitcher.
However, nobody knows for sure if the front office will actually sign Snell for the money and contract he demands. On the other hand, the Yankees can be pretty happy about the outfield they got at the moment. Previously, they had a real lack of superstars in the batting order, except, of course, Aaron Judge. But then, the NY side landed Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, and Trent Grisham this offseason. Clearly, the Yankees outfield looks really good at present. But Aaron Boone recently talked about the hitter who came from the arch-rival team. The manager sounded pretty hopeful about Verdugo.
Yankees Manager Believes 2024 Will Be The Breakout Year For Alex Verdugo
On January 29, Aaron Boone, in an interview with the Talkin’ Yanks podcast of Jomboy Media mentioned that the public really overlooked the addition of Alex Verdugo in the roster. But it is understandable as the very next day, the reports came that the Yankees landed the big fish Juan Soto from the San Diego Padres. They sacrificed a lot of pitchers for Soto and Grisham. Anyway, the Yankees manager feels very positive about the former Boston Red Sox slugger. Moreover, Boone mentioned Alex is a pretty talented hitter.
Adding to that, the NY side’s manager mentioned he could be so much more than what he has actually achieved so far. Boone said if Verdugo is healthy and gets his chance in the middle of the lineup, he can then hopefully get him to another level. Perhaps the manager might put Verdugo somewhere up top after cleaning up a lot of things. The high expectations of the manager for Verdugo come quite naturally. Moreover, the Yankees have been targeting Verdugo for trade for a long time. Later, they traded a lot of pitchers to their arch-rivals to get Alex Verdugo as well.
With Juan Soto, Aaron Judge And Verdugo, The Outfield Looks One Of The Best
Last year, the NY side had a very weak offense and outfield. That’s what they intended to improve upon this offseason. And that’s what they were able to do. Landing Juan Soto for a year already makes the offense really solid. Then, to remember the presence of the AL 2022 MVP.
Now, Verdugo should only bolster the batting average of the team along with Judge and Soto. Fans are eagerly waiting for the rotation in action in the upcoming season. As far as in terms of WAR, the Yankees have been the most improved outfield in the league this offseason. Thanks to the activities of Brian Cashman and his front office this winter.
Stay tuned with Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite MLB team.
