McAdam: Obtained for Mookie Betts, Alex Verdugo knows expectations are high ... and welcomes them

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Alex Verdugo wasn't the only player the Red Sox got back when they shipped Mookie Betts (and David Price) to the Los Angeles Dodgers. After the trade was re-worked, the Sox also obtained two other prospects in the five-player deal.

But as the only player coming back with major league experience, Verdugo instinctively knows that, for now, he's the face of the trade. He'll be the player Red Sox fans think of when they lament the departure of Betts.

In short, he'll have a target on his back. And he's ready for it.

"I know who I am, I know what I can do on the baseball field,'' said Verdugo, who met with the media for the first time Saturday. "I'm extremely confident in my abilities -- defensively, in the batter's box, baserunning. I know that I can be a game-changer. I plan on being an All-Star, having Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers. I plan on that.



"That's what helps me — truly being confident in my abilities. It's something I've always told people, 'You guys are going to see it.' At the end of the day, in between the lines, all that matters is you competing against that person. I don't care if you're Jacob deGrom, Gerrit Cole, if you're a Cy Young winner, the best. That's what feeds people like me. That competitive edge, that wanting to be the best.

"People are sad about seeing Mookie go, which I understand. I'm going to let my play talk. I'm going to get healthy I'm going to go out there and just play my heart out, give it everything I've got and I think, at the end of the day, Boston will accept that and I think they'll see what they got is a good player.''

Verdugo also understands that he's in for a culture shock, going from southern California to Boston, where fans can be more demanding of their players.

"Boston, they speak their mind a little bit more. That's what it is,'' he said. "I like that man, I really do. There's no holding back. People get mad about trades or if you're not performing, they speak their minds and they say it. Hey, that's the nature of the game. We're in that business, we're in the public eye. People are going to have mixed emotions, mixed feelings about you. Some people are going to love you and some people will just look at you and not like you. That's just how it is."

Though raised in Tuscon and drafted and developed by the Dodgers, Verdugo revealed that he grew up a Red Sox fan and completely idolized David Ortiz. On his first visit to Fenway last July, Verdugo signed his name inside the Green Monster and was nearly overcome with emotion playing in the ballpark of his childhood dreams.

"It was unbelievable,'' he gushed. "And to hit a home run my first time being there. ... I watched Boston play the Yankees a lot of time in that park and just being there, I had a lot of emotions come out. I remember hitting the home run and just running around the bases, I was like a little kid in a candy store for the first time. I was just so happy. You're walking on air. It's just your dream come true.

"I'm telling you -- if I see David Ortiz here, I'm giving him the biggest hug. I might even tear up, man. Growing up, I don't know what it was. David Ortiz was just the man. In the postseason, it's just a different animal at all times and it felt like, when you needed him the most, he stepped up. He came up and did it. You see the way the city loves him -- it's for a reason.''

In addition to the expectations, Verdugo also comes with some personal baggage. He was implicated in a sexual assault that took place in an Arizona hotel room while he was an 18-year-old minor leaguer. No charges were filed, but the fact that Verdugo was present continues to be an issue.

Perhaps as a pre-emptive strike and to ensure that the story wasn't a lingering distraction, Verdugo addressed the team about his involvement in the incident.

"Obviously my name being mentioned and the allegations, it hurts,'' said Verdugo. "I don't want Boston fans to judge me for something they've read or seen posted. I know who I am, I know what I believe in. It's extremely hard to deal with that. I was cleared of any wrongdoing. That being said, it was a terrible thing that happened. It's in my past. I've grown from it, I've learned from it.

"I want to show people that I am a good guy. I want people to judge me for the way I play. That's what I want to be known for, obviously not something that happened several years back. I learned you have to be smarter with the position you put yourself in. It was tough. But there was due diligence on everybody's end. I was cleared of any wrongdoing. I don't want to (be defined by this). I can't do anything about it now, but just show people the real me and who I am.''

Before Verdugo can win over fans, he'll first have to get healthy. He's dealing with an L5 stress fracture in his back, a condition that dates back to the middle of last season and cost him the final two months of last season. It's virtually a given that he won't be ready for Opening Day, according to the team.

"It's healing nice,'' said Ron Roenicke. "It continues to heal, but it's not healed completely. But it's in a progression where they're really liking how it's coming along. It's an injury that takes time. It's an injury that is fairly common in baseball. It's a rotation issue. So our trainers are familiar with it. We'll take him as the steps come -- not only what the images show bur his response to things.

"To be honest, if everything goes right, he still may not be ready for Opening Day. It's silly to push him where he can have a setback and now this thing is bothering him the whole year. We need to get him 100 percent.''

''We're not trying to rush that,'' said Verdugo. "We're going to take our time on this. We're going to make sure that we're right, that when I'm able to be in Boston, it's the whole year and we don't have any setbacks.''

"I know what I'm capable of and I know I'm nowhere near what my ceiling is. I'm still working, I'm still grinding. And every day I'm going to continue to get better. That desire, that want to be better, it doesn't fizzle out, it doesn't stop. You get success and the more success you get, the more you want. That's the way I am. I kind of get greedy with it.''