Former New York Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo is still a free agent as Opening Day approaches.

Though the Yankees elected not to bring him back after a lackluster season, his ex-teammates and manager are surprised to see he's still without a job. That includes Yankees captain Aaron Judge.

“I am surprised,” he told Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “He’s such a great player. He brings so much value and versatility to a team.”

Judge also recalled the play Verdugo made against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series that, at the time, looked like it could have saved the game. His over-the-railing catch of a Shohei Ohtani pop-up in the 10th inning put the Dodgers on the verge of a loss before Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam.

“That just sums up everything that he is in one play right there,” Judge said. “Doesn’t matter — he was making plays like that in April and May when the games aren’t as big. Speaks volumes of the person he is, putting his body out there for the team.”

Verdugo made $8.7 million with the Yankees last year but has not received a Major League offer, a source told The Athletic.

“He's without question a big-league player and a big-league starting player, for me,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone added. “It just probably hasn’t lined up money-wise and team-wise and need-wise, but he was great with us.”

Yankees players remember Alex Verdugo as a ‘great teammate'

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Verdugo showed his potential mostly as a member of the Boston Red Sox, where he played from 2020 to 2023. In that time, he hit .281 with a .761 OPS. Those numbers dropped to .233 and .647 respectively in his one year with the Yankees.

“He was my lockermate from Day 1,” outfielder Trent Grisham said. “He was my guy. I loved playing with him. I think he’s a great player. Really good defender. Great hitter. Had a little bit of a down year last year, but great hitter, and a great teammate. Fun to be around. Every day, couldn’t stop laughing when you’re hanging out with him.”

Shortstop Anthony Volpe echoed Grisham's sentiment about Verdugo as a teammate.

“He’s, I think, the definition of ride or die as a teammate,” he said. “We got so close. You saw the plays he made in the outfield, running into walls (and) putting everything out there. He was one of my favorite teammates ever and I think in so many ways, he helped us win games, whether it was on the field or what he could bring to the clubhouse. What’s crazy is, I think maybe me saying that would be surprising to some people, but I just really appreciate so much what he brought to the club and every day.”

“Incredible teammate,” Stroman added. “Incredible dude.”