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Nelson Cruz is entering his 19th season in Major League Baseball after signing with the San Diego Padres.
Per ESPN Jeff PassanCruz agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal with the Padres.
Cruz became a free agent in November after the Washington Nationals turned down a $16 million reciprocal option.
The Nationals were named a seven-time All-Star in March and signed a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2023. 2019 Worlds season since winning his series.
But it didn’t work out for Cruz or Washington. He batted .234/.313/.337 with 10 homers and 64 RBIs in 124 games. The Nationals had his worst record in MLB (55-107), and he traded Juan Soto to the San Diego Padres at the deadline.
Cruz was the third-oldest player on the Opening Day roster when the 2022 season began, according to Will Leitch of MLB.com. He turned 42 on July 1st.
Recently, age has started to catch up with Dominica. He got off to a strong start to the 2021 season with the Twins (. 907 OPS, 19 home runs in 85 games), but after being dealt to the Rays, he plummeted (. 725 OPS, 13 home runs in 55 games).
No wonder the Nationals wanted a move from Cruz. He was barely productive in his day-to-day role last season and would have paid a heavy price in 2023.
Padres He’s not far from being an above-average hitter, so he’s hoping to catch lightning with a bottle. It seems low, but it could be successful in part-time roles in 2023.
San Diego already has a strong line-up, but Cruz’s addition will allow manager Bob Melvin to face off. 248/.345/.383 in his 149 at-bats against left-handed pitchers last season.
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