Nelson Cruz Extended Qualifying Offer By Baltimore Orioles
By Hayden Kane
Nelson Cruz put together an outstanding season for the Baltimore Orioles in 2014. For the second year in a row, he has been extended a qualifying offer on his way to test MLB free agency.
Once again, Nelson Cruz has been slapped with a qualifying offer. It will be different this time around than it was in 2013, however. Last winter, the combination of the qualifying offer and the lingering stink of Cruz’s PED suspension made the market for his services awfully quiet.
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That will not be the case for Cruz this year. He was one of the most formidable hitters in the American League and was a key player as the Baltimore Orioles charged to an American League East crown in 2014. All told, Cruz slugged 40 home runs and drove in 108 runs. Whether it is the Orioles or some other team, somebody is going to pay Cruz a lot of money for that production from the right side of the plate.
There will certainly be pressure on the Orioles to bring Cruz back for 2015 and beyond. The team took one step in that process, or at least protected their interests as far as Cruz is concerned, by extending a $15.3 million qualifying offer to the slugger on Monday.
The team announced the move.
The Orioles have made a Qualifying Offer to Nelson Cruz and reinstated 3B Manny Machado & CA Matt Wieters from the 60-day disabled list.
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) November 3, 2014
Any team that tries to negotiate a big deal with Cruz will now have to do so with the understanding that a contract will cost them draft pick compensation. That gives the Orioles an advantage as they weight a potential multi-year offer for Cruz, something which seems likely at this point.
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