Milwaukee Brewers Among Several NL Teams Interested in Nelson Cruz
By Paul Bretl
MLB free agency hasn’t quite gotten off to the fast start that many expected, but a few signings have occurred, and the rumor mill is beginning to ramp up. As Milwaukee Brewers President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger recently told reporters, he expects David Stearns to hit the ground running in free agency. What that exactly means, we will have just to wait and see.
In terms of needs that the Brewers have to fill, they still have four openings on the 40-man roster, and when it comes to specific positions they have to address, the corner infield positions come to mind, along with adding depth to the outfield as well as to the bullpen.
On top of that, Milwaukee needs to bolster their offense, and one way to accomplish that is through finding a reliable DH and adding some pop to this lineup. For much of the 2021 season, the Brewers ranked in the bottom third of baseball in many key statistical categories on offense–not to mention that their lackluster performance at the plate was the main reason they were eliminated early on in the postseason.
One of the big-name free agents available at DH is Nelson Cruz, and the Brewers are among at least eight teams interested in the veteran right-hander, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN. Jon Heyman would later add that Cruz is expected to make his decision this weekend.
Given the Milwaukee Brewers need for a DH and added production on offense, their interest in Cruz makes a lot of sense.
If you recall, Cruz actually began his career in Milwaukee all the way back in 2005, where he briefly appeared in eight games before he was traded away to the Texas Rangers. Since then, Cruz has been a seven-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and was named ALCS MVP.
For his career, Cruz has a slash line of .277/.346/.527 with a 133 OPS+. In 2021, which was split between Minnesota and Tampa Bay, Cruz hit .365 and posted an .832 OPS along with 32 home runs and 21 doubles. Excluding the shortened 2020 season, Cruz has eclipsed the 30 home run mark each year since 2014, including four seasons with more than 40.
With at least eight teams reportedly in pursuit of Cruz, landing him won’t be easy for the Milwaukee Brewers, and to do so, they’ll likely have to open up their checkbook. Last season, Cruz played on a one-year $13 million deal. At 41-years-old, Spotrac is projecting that Cruz lands another one-year deal, this time worth $14 million.
With that said, there are a few reasons it would make sense for Cruz to choose Milwaukee, including that he can play an important role on a team that has aspirations of making a deep playoff run–and he would also have the opportunity to put together another strong season, calling the hitter-friendly confines of American Family Field home.
As it currently stands, there are a few question marks surrounding this Milwaukee Brewers lineup, but adding Cruz to the mix would go a long way in quelling those concerns.