Red Sox's Alex Verdugo Explains Viral On-Field Meeting With Chaim Bloom
The Boston Red Sox will soon have to make a decision regarding the future of outfielder Alex Verdugo.
The 27-year-old fringe All-Star is approaching his final season under team control, meaning contract talks would have to begin at least by spring training should the team want to retain him.
Some thought those conversations might have kicked off last week but that was not the case. Fans and media members alike were trying to decode an on-field meeting between Verdugo and Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom that reportedly lasted almost 40 minutes.
As it turns out, the conversation was much less serious than many speculated.
“That was more like a personal just catch-up," Verdugo told WEEI's Rob Bradford on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. "That wasn’t really anything. We weren’t talking business, talking anything like that. It was just catching up, seeing how everybody was doing, family.”
“It was family day. I was there. He just wanted to ask me about some things with my family. It was nothing crazy.”
Verdugo has had a unique career with Boston, showing flashes of All-Star production paired with some minor off-field issues that seem to drive manager Alex Cora up a wall.
It'll be fascinating to see what happens when it is time to talk extension.
More MLB: Trio Of Top Red Sox Prospects Recognized For Stellar Defense