ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 17: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 and Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate scoring during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Truist Park on June 17, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) Getty
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MAY 12: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves breaks his bat during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on May 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) Getty
The 2026 MLB season is winding down fast, with only a handful of series left on MLB's playoff schedule, so it's unlikely any free agents will sign until the new signing period opens after the World Series.
However, the Atlanta Braves are still alive in the MLB playoffs and have real World Series aspirations.
With that being said, a former Braves player who spent a handful of games with the organization in 2025 is still a free agent, and today I'll be taking a look at his career and why it is that he may still be a free agent.
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GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 17: Ronald Acuña Jr. #13 and Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves celebrate scoring during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Truist Park on June 17, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
It's been 457 days (July 5, 2025) since Alex Verdugo was released by the Atlanta Braves, and after a brief stint within the San Diego Padres organization in 2026, he was released by San Diego as well, which makes him a free agent.
None of the 30 MLB teams decided to ink Verdugo to even a minor league deal this season.
With the Braves (in 2025), Verdugo played in 56 games, and over 197 at-bats, he batted .239 with zero home runs, 12 RBI, 21 runs scored, and an OPS of .585, which is well below league average.
Verdugo was DFA'd by the Atlanta Braves on July 2, and instead of being outrighted to the minors, Atlanta's front office decided to just cut ties altogether and grant him his release a few days later.
Braves fans have obviously moved on from the disaster that was the 2025 season, but it's important to check in on former players to see what they are up to, and for Verdugo, he is still unemployed.
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GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 12: Alex Verdugo #8 of the Atlanta Braves breaks his bat during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on May 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Alex Verdugo is an MLB veteran of nine seasons.
He came up with the Los Angeles Dodgers and played the first three seasons of his career with LA before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade.
He played four seasons with the Red Sox before moving to New York and joining the Yankees (in 2024).
Across 856 total games played in his career, Verdugo has batted .270 with 70 home runs, 328 RBI, 430 runs scored, and a lifetime OPS+ of 99.
It will be interesting to see if he can latch onto another organization in the future, but his lack of display in 2025 with the Braves may leave teams hesitant to ink him to any sort of contractual agreement.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Ex-Atlanta Braves Player Still a Free Agent 457 Days After Release appeared first on HEAVY .
