Mariners add power bat with Nelson Cruz, but still need more help
The Seattle Mariners finished one game away from the postseason in 2014. In that type of situation, a team can look back at any number of stats and situations to find regret, to linger on how just a slight bit of improvement might have changed things.
In the case of these Mariners, they were among the worst in baseball when it came to offensive production. Their team OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages) was lowest in the American League.
So what’s a team to do? Go after the top OPS guys on the free-agent market. They tried but didn’t land Victor Martinez, who led the league in OPS with .974, but he opted to return to Detroit.
On Monday, though, the Mariners the got the next best available slugger, as they’ve reportedly agreed to terms with Nelson Cruz on a four-year deal worth $57 million. That’s not a ridiculous amount of money (by baseball standards, at least) for Cruz, who led MLB with 40 homers and was fourth with 108 RBIs as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. He was also 10th in the AL with an .859 OPS.
Cruz gives the Orioles the right-handed power they wanted, the OPS boost they needed and it makes their lineup — with Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager joining him in the middle — a threat in the AL West.
The Mariners were reportedly chasing an outfielder with power via trade before the Cruz news hit. They already have a great pitching staff, so complementing that is their top offseason priority. The rumor mill says they’d been talking about Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton and Matt Kemp. Now, here’s Cruz. He won’t play the outfield. He’ll DH instead. So the Mariners shouldn’t be done. They can’t be done.
Please know Seattle isn’t simply plugging 40 homers and 100 RBIs into its lineup. Cruz comes with baggage (remember his PED suspension?) and a number of concerns:
• He’s 34 and coming off the season he had, Cruz is ripe for regression.
• Seattle’s Safeco Field isn’t a home-run hitter’s paradise. For example: Cano’s homers were nearly cut in half his first year in Seattle, from 27 in 2013 to 14 the next year.
• Cruz’s second half in 2014 wasn’t as great as finals stats would have you believe. After the All-Star break, he hit .249 with 12 homers and 34 RBIs, compared to a first half in which he hit .287 with 28 homers and 74 RBIs.
What we’re saying is: The Mariners still need more help. While Cruz certainly adds pop to the Seattle lineup, they’ve got to keep shopping. Neither of their projected corner outfielders were particularly productive with the bat in 2014. As things stand now, they’d likely start the year with Dustin Ackley in left (who made some nice defensive plays, but hit just .245) and James Jones in right (who’s fast, but not a particularly great hitter).
This isn’t the time for a half-measure. Not with the run-scoring Angels looming as AL West champions. Since the A’s are rebuilding and the Rangers are coming off a tough year, the Mariners have a good chance in 2015 to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.
And let’s be real: Cano, Cruz and ace Felix Hernandez aren’t getting any younger. If the Mariners want to go for it, now’s the time.
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
