‘I love Boston’: Alex Verdugo happy to stay with Red Sox after trade deadline
"I'm very honored to wear this Boston jersey and I don't take it lightly."
Though Alex Verdugo was rumored to be in trade negotiations, the 27-year-old is happy that he stayed put.
The Red Sox ultimately decided against parting with Verdugo prior to Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. Afterward, Verdugo sounded off on remaining with his current team.
“I love Boston,” he told WEEI on Tuesday. “It’s one of those things. I want to stay here. I’ve been kind of chirping at them for years, ‘Extend me! Extend me!'”
Verdugo, who homered in Tuesday’s win over the Mariners, has been with the Red Sox since arriving in 2020 as part of the Mookie Betts trade with the Dodgers. His contract runs through the 2024 season, though there haven’t been “serious” talks about an extension to this point, according to Verdugo.
“I love it out here,” he said of playing at Fenway Park. “I love the culture. I love how they go about it, and how passionate they are about the game. For me it’s just been a great fit. Fits my personality, fits the way I play this game. I’m very honored to wear this Boston jersey and I don’t take it lightly.”
In the end, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom opted for just a minor trade (adding infielder Luis Urias from the Brewers). Bloom called his team “underdogs” heading into the latter stage of the regular season.
At 57-50, the Red Sox trail the Blue Jays by 1.5 games for the final wild-card spot. Boston and Toronto begin a three-game series on Friday.
Looking at the remainder of the 2023 season, Verdugo projected optimism.
“I think these next two months, we’re going to really run off with something and kind of just end on a good note.”
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