Nelson Cruz deal has worked out great for Seattle Mariners
By Brad Faber
At the age of 37 and in the third season of a four-year deal, Nelson Cruz continues to put up monster numbers for the Seattle Mariners.
During the 2014-15 offseason, the Seattle Mariners signed Nelson Cruz to a four-year, $58 million deal. It was the multi-year deal that Cruz failed to receive the previous offseason.
At the end of his tenure with the Texas Rangers, Cruz was already known as a consistent power threat and had many solid years behind him. However, at the time, he was set to enter his age-34 season, had a rather uninspiring career on-base percentage of .327 and was generally regarded as a poor defender. He was also served a 50-game suspension in 2013 due to his connection to the Biogenesis scandal. Whatever the reason might have been, teams seemed hesitant to lock him up to a big contract.
Finally, Cruz agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles in February of 2014. The deal would turn out to be a bargain to say the least.
In 2014, Cruz played in 159 games, tying a career high. He hit an impressive .271/.333/.525 with an MLB-best 40 home runs. Prior to the 2014 season, Cruz’s career high in home runs was 33, which he had set back in 2009. He was also worth 3.7 fWAR in 2014, which was his best mark since 2010. Cruz drove in 108 runs as well, marking the first 100-RBI season of his career. It just so turned out that Cruz’s stellar 2014 foreshadowed several more terrific seasons ahead.
Continued success in Seattle
When Cruz signed with the Mariners, many questioned whether he could continue hitting for power in a larger ballpark. He quickly silenced those fears by hitting .302/.369/.566 with 44 homers and 93 RBI in his first season in Seattle. The next year, Cruz hit .287/.360/.555 with 43 home runs and 105 RBI.
Now in his third season in Seattle, Cruz was named an All-Star for the fifth time of his career this year. He has hit .290/.375/.555 with 31 homers and an AL-best 101 RBI through his first 125 games. Cruz has already driven in 100 runs for the third time in the past four years. With a hot September, it’s possible he may also be able to achieve a fourth consecutive 40-plus homer season.
Cruz’s .265 ISO (isolated power) currently ranks eighth in the American League. At 37 years old and another year still remaining on his contract, it doesn’t appear he is slowing down one bit. Instead, it seems he is actually getting better with age.
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The best bang for the buck
Cruz spent his share of time in the outfield during his first two years in Seattle, but is now being used almost exclusively as a DH. Still, the value he has provided with his bat has been hard to match. When looking back to the 2014-15 offseason, a couple of players that stand out as suitable comparisons to Cruz include Hanley Ramirez and Victor Martinez. Ramirez and Martinez signed four-year deals the same offseason for $88 and $68 million, respectively.
Ramirez, a former shortstop, has played left field and first base for the Boston Red Sox, but has been used mostly at DH this season. Martinez has been the Detroit Tigers‘ regular DH for quite a while now, though he has played catcher and a bit of first base in the past.
While Ramirez and Martinez had nice seasons in 2016, their overall body of work over the past three seasons has not come close to matching Cruz’s. Ramirez has been worth just 1.0 fWAR since 2015, while Martinez has been worth -2.1. Cruz, on the other hand, has been worth 12.1 fWAR over the same time span.
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While the addition of Cruz has not yet earned the Mariners their first Word Series championship or even a playoff appearance thus far, it would be safe to say the he has done his part – and then some. Moreover, with a record of 66-66, the Mariners are currently only two games behind the Minnesota Twins for the second AL Wild Card spot. It is not inconceivable that the M’s could earn their first playoff berth since 2001 this season.