Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Rangers have decided to tender a one-year, $14.1 million qualifying offer to Nelson Cruz, which he is expected to turn down in favor of a multi-year deal.
“It’s a relatively easy decision,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. “We’d be happy to have him back on a one-year deal. And we’re not prohibited from continuing to talk to him while he sees what the market is. If he signs elsewhere, we get a draft pick that helps us as well.”
Cruz posted a .266/.327/.506 line with 27 homers in 456 PA this year and is currently 33 years old. It will be difficult for him to find a multi-year deal because of his recent steroid troubles — and if he does reject the qualifying offer as expected, he may find out the market is not as prosperous as he believes. Considering that the Mets have a protected pick and have no issue signing players that are trying to rebound off PED histories, he could be a potential target if the upper management feels like taking a chance on him.
I’m actually okay with Nelson Cruz on something like a two-year deal — but I think he will likely be a little too pricey for us even after everything. I personally think his best move would be to accept the qualifying offer, but I’m going off what MLBTR noted. That being said, all signs pointed to Tim Lincecum being a free agent, so we’ll see what unfolds with Cruz.
