Part of being a top prospect on a team that is already competing for a World Series like the Los Angeles Dodgers is that there will be constant trade rumors surrounding you.
That has been the case for outfielder Alex Verdugo the last couple years, as his name has been brought up in trade discussions for All-Stars like Yu Darvish, Giancarlo Stanton and many others.
Despite the constant rumors, the 2014 second-round draft pick out of Sahuaro High School in Tucson, Arizona has not been traded up to this point, so the organization obviously sees something in him.
In a recent interview on “Access SportsNet: Dodgers,” via SportsNet LA, Verdugo commented on hearing his name in rumors, saying he doesn’t pay attention anymore because it’s beyond his control:
“Earlier in my career, I paid attention to it a lot. Your friends would make fun of you like, ‘Oh man, you’re gone. You’re getting traded.’ Like for Yu Darvish, they were all, ‘You’re done.’ I was like, ‘Alright, I’m gone.’ I take it more as a joke now. You can’t control it. If your name is being brought up in certain trades, you can think of it both ways, ‘Oh, I like the Dodgers. I wish I could stay with them.’ But then you’ve got to think, you know what, ‘Another team wants me and it could work out.’ But for me, I just want to stay with the Dodgers and try to do everything I can to stay with them.”
Verdugo, who is currently ranked the Dodgers No. 2 prospect by Baseball America, made his Major League debut in 2017, hitting .174/.240/.304 with one home run over 25 plate appearances.
The 21-year-old had a much better season with Triple-A Oklahoma City though, slashing .314/.389/.436 with 37 extra-base hits over 495 plate appearances.
The trade rumors surrounding him will likely continue in the near future, but if he remains with the organization then he will have an opportunity to earn a big league roster spot this spring.
