Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that 34-year-old costless agent slugger Nelson Cruz is wanting nothing less than a four-year deal with a hefty price tag. Cruz got picked up in costless agency this past offseason for one-year at a cheap $8-million price tag. This year, it is much, much different.
The Baltimore Orioles are already on ship with bringing back (or trying to bring back) outfielder Nick Markakis. What does that mean for the Orioles and Cruz for the future, that question is going to remain a revolving door until he is signed either with Baltimore, or some other club.
After only signing a one-year, $8 million deal this past offseason, it is pretty clear to know that Cruz was playing for his career. Every game he played he was getting looked at by a organization. Of course, in reality, the Orioles would love to re-sign Cruz, but that seems a little uncertain at the moment.
Cruz, of course, went off in 2014 hitting 40 home runs and a high end slugging average on the table at .525. The amount of money Cruz wanted last season was $75 million, and if you remember, it took a while for him to go off the market, but his $75 million went all the way down to $8 million. It could be a long and cold winter for Cruz again.
Yes, Cruz had a great year in 2014, but teams do not want a "one and done" type of player. A lot of general managers and owners are probably sitting back right now wondering if the 34-year-old worth the risk. One thing to keep note of is that the Orioles have already locked up one star player, J.J. Hardy for three-years worth $29 million.
Cruz has received a qualifying offer from the Orioles at one-year worth $15.3 million. He has until 5 p.m. ET on November 10 to accept or decline the clubs offer.
"The Orioles have made a Qualifying Offer to Nelson Cruz and reinstated 3B Manny Machado & CA Matt Wieters from the 60-day disabled list."
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) November 3, 2014