As the MLB offseason moves past New Year’s and heads toward spring training, the defending American League champion New York Yankees have made progress, but still have a few crucial roster moves to finalize — especially with the departure of Juan Soto, which has left a sizable gap in their outfield following his 41-home-run performance.
The Yankees also lost another key outfield piece from last year’s World Series roster. After three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and four with the Boston Red Sox, 28-year-old Alex Verdugo was traded to the Yankees, who took on the final year of his arbitration eligibility and signed him for a $9.2 million one-year deal.
However, the relationship with Verdugo ended quickly. After a tough season with an underwhelming .291 OBP and a .647 OPS, Verdugo’s performance was even worse in the postseason, posting OPS numbers of .481 and .594 in the divisional and ALCS rounds, respectively.
He did show some improvement during the Yankees’ five-game World Series loss to the Dodgers, but ultimately, in his last act with the Yankees, Verdugo struck out in the bottom of the ninth with the team down by one, ending their Fall Classic hopes.
Now, the Yankees need to replace Verdugo and Soto. Replacing Verdugo should be less of a challenge, and one possible candidate on the trade market who could offer an immediate upgrade over Verdugo for roughly the same price is 31-year-old Taylor Ward of the Los Angeles Angels.
Alternatively, the Yankees could turn to their internal option, Jasson Domínguez, the team’s No. 1 prospect. Domínguez was once viewed as the top candidate to take over Verdugo’s spot, but in 18 Major League games last season, he struggled with a .179 average and a .617 OPS.
With Domínguez still working on his development, a trade for Ward would fill the gap. Ward is expected to make $8.75 million in 2025 (similar to Verdugo’s $9.2 million in 2024) and remains under team control for another year. It’s estimated that Ward could see a raise to around $12 million in 2026 before hitting free agency — allowing Domínguez more time to develop.
Jasson Domínguez
Over the last three seasons, Ward has posted a combined WAR of 7.6. For comparison, top free-agent hitter Anthony Santander, expected to sign a $100 million contract, has accumulated 8.2 WAR in the same span, though in 73 more games. On a per-162-game basis, Ward has actually outperformed Santander, with 3.01 WAR compared to Santander’s 2.89.
Given the Angels’ struggles with their starting pitching in 2024 (ranking 28th in ERA), they are likely to target quality big-league pitchers or top pitching prospects in exchange for Ward. Will Warren, the Yankees’ highest-ranked pitching prospect, could be a prime candidate to be traded for Ward.
Leave a Reply