Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS 38s38 seconds ago
according to @ElCaribeRD nelson cruz going to mariners 57M, 4 yrs. hat tip @Enrique_Rojas1
according to @ElCaribeRD nelson cruz going to mariners 57M, 4 yrs. hat tip @Enrique_Rojas1
RIrooter09 said:I wonder if that takes them out of the running for Cespedes.
RIrooter09 said:I wonder if that takes them out of the running for Cespedes.
moondog80 said:Still in. The plan is/was for Cespedes to play the OF, and Cruz will DH, so this doesn't change anything.
Definitely true. Cruz was the only qualified Oriole with an OPS above .780, and was #1 in HR and 2B.TheoShmeo said:The Orioles not getting Cruz back doesn't suck from a Red Sox perspective.
Wingack said:Not a terrible deal. I think he will wind up being a better value than Pablo Sandoval.
It happens. It's why Lester's price tag is so much larger now than what it would have taken to get him at the start of the season. I think the years are a bigger problem than the AAV but as I mentioned earlier, I doubt the M's care about years 3-4 if they win the WS. I think moly's point is relevant here as well.LondonSox said:People have really short memories. He was a last gasp bargain basement choice last season had 2 great months to start the season and then 3 months sub 700 OPS with bad def. If Sept had been bad we'd be talking about a lucky two months for an average player. As it is he finished strong and is worth a 4 year deal at nearly 2x per year than a year. Nearly 8 times what he signed for this time a year ago.
A lot of money being thrown at DHs. Would you rather take Victor Martinez for 4/68? I certainly would. At least Victor is a good hitter who offers more than just RH power.
Wingack said:Not a terrible deal. I think he will wind up being a better value than Pablo Sandoval.
He's actually going to be 35 on July 1st. He needs to hit about like Ortiz did last year to be worth it IMO. That's a rough park for him to do it in.Trlicek's Whip said:
Cruz has silly-amazing power but needs lots of AB's to compile those power stats. At age 33 (34 next September), I'd take the under on both his PA's next year being less than his career-high 678, and to how many games he plays (even at DH).
grimshaw said:He's actually going to be 35 on July 1st. He needs to hit about like Ortiz did last year to be worth it IMO. That's a rough park for him to do it in.
JohntheBaptist said:"Fuck you. Fuck you, Cruz."
Masterpiece.
moly99 said:I think it's a terrible signing on paper, but you also have to factor in the fact that the Mariners have gotten about .200/.270.300 out of their DH position the last three years. I think Cruz will be a shell of his former self at Safeco, but .250 with 20 home runs is still a massive upgrade over the burning pile of dog poop he is replacing.
For those small and mid market American League teams that don't have a DH in place, I think picking up a player like Cruz is a lot different than it is for a team like the Red Sox or Yankees that have a bunch of signings they will eventually want to dump off there. Cano and Seager will be fine playing the infield for the next four seasons, so Cruz won't have any competition for DH.
foulkehampshire said:
Care to elaborate? He's old, had a massive power outage the 2nd half of last year, and can't play defense. There's nothing about his profile that lends to the belief that he'll do well in Safeco.
I'm not going to add to the Pablo Sandoval controversy here, but Pablo is a good defender and hitter at a premium position. May or may not be worth the contract he's getting, but he has a better chance to provide value than Cruz.
GilaMonster said:
I do know they needed a DH, but you can find better an cheaper options. They could have gotten LaRoche or Butler for half the price. They could have paid more for a better V-Mart. They could have explored a Duda-Miller swap. Maybe work out a Ackley for Chris Davis trade.