Padres Sign Nelson Cruz to One-Year Contract

Padres Sign Nelson Cruz to One-Year Contract

The Padres continue to stay active in free agency bringing in Veteran slugger Nelson Cruz on a one-year deal. The contract is for $1 million and is also pending a physical, which these days seems like mission impossible. Cough cough Carlos Correa.

The deal was reported on by Jeff Passan

Veteran slugger Nelson Cruz and the San Diego Padres are in agreement on a one-year, $1 million contract, sources tell ESPN. Cruz, 42, is entering his 19th season and should get ample DH at-bats. He'll also serve as GM of the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 11, 2023

It will be his 19th straight season in the league and will be turning 43 this upcoming season. Father time comes for us all but Cruz has seemingly found a way to put him on delay.

Nelson Cruz has been one of the premier sluggers of the last decade. From 2008-2021 he ranked first in home runs at 434 and boasted an impressive slash line of .280/.350/.536. He seemed to be in that same boat as Justin Verlander in terms of never seeming to age. He may have never played great or even good defense, but you knew he was gonna hit 30+ home runs and drive in runs at an elite level.

But recently it seems like time is finally starting to catch up with Nelson Cruz. After being traded to the Rays in 2021 he saw a drastic drop in production. His slash line dropped to .226/.283/.442 and saw the same struggles with the Nationals last year in which he hit 234/.313/.337.

Now Cruz did tell reporters that he was undergoing eye surgery this offseason to deal with some inflammation that was obscuring his vision. And while I do believe that the inflammation had something to do with his struggles. I think it’s more attributed to his older age.

He will almost certainly serve as a DH in a stacked Padres lineup that will include the likes of, Fernando Tatis Jr. Juan Soto, and Manny Machado. So he should be protected quite well in this lineup which should allow him to see some better pitches.

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I’m personally a fan of the whole Nelson Cruz story. It’s fun watching guys break the norm and show elite production well past their prime. And while the career of Nelson Cruz may be close to an end. I’m just glad I’ve gotten to grow up watching him smack home runs.

But maybe Cruz can turn the clock back once again and provide the Padres with a reliable option at the DH. All I do know is that if he does do that, this Padre offense can become a whole lot more dangerous.

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