Nelson Cruz agrees to one-year deal with Twins (sources)

MINNEAPOLIS – It lasted until February, but the twins finally recovered their man. Nelson Cruz is returning to Minnesota with a one-year, $ 13 million contract awaiting a physique, sources told MLB.com on Tuesday night. It took longer than many expected for the deal to end with both sides in mind

MINNEAPOLIS – It lasted until February, but the twins finally recovered their man.

Nelson Cruz returns to Minnesota with a one-year, $ 13 million contract awaiting a physique, sources told MLB.com Tuesday night. It took longer than many expected until the agreement was reached, as both sides expressed interest in a meeting immediately after the end of the 2020 season. But eventually Cruz arrived back in Minneapolis, where he scored. over the course of two seasons as a fan favorite and a focal point for the team.

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It is a meeting that made sense to both sides. Cruz has been the twins’ best player in the last two seasons and has provided consistent strength and average from the heart of the game, evidently appearing in the 2019 “Bomb Squad”, which set the MLB record in the single-season on their own land. Cruz also made it known that he liked his situation in Minnesota, where he was on a fighting list and felt comfortable with the organization and the club.

Even though she was over 40, Cruz showed no signs of slowing down on stage – and, in fact, raised her performance to several levels.

Cruz initially signed with the Twins before the 2019 season and posted two of the best seasons of his career, leading the club in homers and OPS in both campaigns, while the Twins claimed consecutive Central American League championships. His OPS + marks of 168 and 169 in the last two seasons were the highest marks of his career (except for the 2008 season when he played only 31 games) and received national recognition with the Silver Slugger Awards in both seasons and a pair of top 10 in AL MVP Award Voting.

Over two seasons in Minnesota, Cruz managed .308 / .394 / .626 with 57 homers in 173 games. After receiving $ 14 million in 2019, it was not a difficult decision for the twins to exercise their $ 12 million club option for ’20 – and bring it back to a similar price in ’21.

It is even more important to have Cruz in the twins’ club as a leading figure for many of the young players on the strong international list, especially for his Dominican colleague Miguel Sanó, who had the best season of his career in 19 under the wing Cruz and obtained a contract extension as a result.

The stability and voice that Cruz brings to the club could be even more vital this season, when the twins could recognize several of their top prospects for significant roles in what they hope will be a playoff-related team for the third. consecutive year ahead. of increasing competition from the White Sox.

Cruz also matched the twins’ focus on community service with his dedication to charitable efforts in the Dominican Republic, winning the Muhammad Ali 2020 Humanitarian Sports Award and the 2020 Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award.

However, it was not a meeting that came quickly, especially given the uncertainty of whether the designated striker will return to the National League for the 2021 season, which would have widened the team market in search of Cruz’s services. This is a situation that seems to be gaining more clarity on Monday, when the league announced that the MLB Players Association had rejected a proposal for ’21 that would have included both a late start to the season and universal DH, among other plans. The deal with Cruz came soon after, late Tuesday night.

Cruz’s return should largely end the Gemini offense, which also added shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a one-year deal last week, pushing Jorge Polanco on second base and Luis Arraez on second base. vacant utility position. Minnesota has also added right-hander Hansel Robles and left-hander JA Happ in this off-season and could be on the market for extra pitching help to round out his off-season transportation.

The twins of 2021 are finally taking shape – with the most productive bully back in the fight.