Pirates' rumored offseason target finally signs (on absurdly cheap contract)

Remember earlier this month, when Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates had "floated" the idea of signing free agent outfielder Alex Verdugo for "around $8 million?" Well, Verdugo just signed with the Atlanta Braves for a lot less than that.

The Braves and Verdugo agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract just one week before Opening Day, and the 28-year-old agreed to be optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to ramp up after missing most of spring training with the club. The announcement came just days after Brendan Kuty of The Athletic (subscription required) reported that Verdugo had yet to receive a formal big league offer in free agency.

The fact that Verdugo is coming off a career-worst season with the New York Yankees in 2024 certainly didn't help his stock, but he was still connected to clubs like the Pirates, the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim throughout the winter.

Pirates' rumored offseason target Alex Verdugo finally signs with Braves for $1.5 million

While there was never any confirmation that the Pirates had presented a formal $8 million offer to Verdugo, the interest was certainly there. Whether that interest was mutual remains unclear; Verdugo and his camp remained pretty tight-lipped throughout his free agency with regard to his asking price, preferred location and more.

It's also unclear at what point during the offseason the Pirates "floated" the idea of signing Verdugo. If it was early enough, he may have thought he could get a more lucrative offer from another team (in which case, he vastly misjudged his market; but that's a moot point now).

Either way, the Pirates opted instead to sign 37-year-old Tommy Pham to a one-year deal worth $4.05 million. They also signed left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney to a one-year, $5.25 million deal shortly after, ultimately deciding to spread out their extremely limited resources and sign two players instead of one – a defense that only holds up until you remember that the Pirates' 2025 Opening Day payroll is just $88 million.

There's simply no excuse for the Pirates missing out on Verdugo, especially if they could have gotten him for $1.5 million. Even Bob Nutting's cheapness couldn't stand in the way of an opportunity like that.

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