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Rangers sign Nelson Cruz to new deal
Nelson Cruz appears to become a perfect fit for that Texas Rangers together with his potent softball bat and large personality.
With about remaining together a lot longer, AL championship series MVP Cruz and 2-time protecting AL champion Texas prevented arbitration by saying yes Thursday to some $16 million, two-year contract.
“Nelson is really a cornerstone in our team for which really marks the entire turnaround from the franchise. He been area of the winning core, he's an enormous a part of that,” assistant gm Thad Levine stated. “He's been large-time artist within the postseason. He's area of the personality of the team, he plays the overall game with a lot of energy, a really dynamic player, true five-tool athlete.”
The offer, discussed for Cruz by agents Mike and Seth Levinson, came eight days before a scheduled arbitration hearing. It offers another potential $500,000 in performance bonuses and takes the 31-year-old slugging outfielder through his final two season of salary-arbitration qualifications.
Cruz and Levine both stated there have been talks of the longer deal starting his first seasons of potential free agency. They stated there might be further conversations, but the two-year agreement was the easiest method to settle things at this time.
“This was the priority at this time,” Cruz stated. “Like I have stated before, I must stick with the Rangers.”
The offer for Cruz came a next day of clever-fielding shortstop Elvis Andrus completed a $14.4 million, three-year contract around the eve of his scheduled arbitration hearing.
Cruz, who made $3.sixty five million last season, had requested $7.5 million in arbitration and also the team had offered $5.5 million.
In last year's six-game AL championship series against Detroit, Cruz had six home runs and 13 RBIs, both major league records for any postseason series. That incorporated the very first game-ending grand slam in postseason history. Cruz grew to become the very first player with extra-inning homers in 2 games of 1 series.
In 33 career playoff games, all around the latter years once the Rangers made their first couple of World Series looks, Cruz has hit .270 with 14 homers and 27 RBIs.
Cruz is another .270 career hitter over seven major league seasons and it has hit 84 of his 106 career homers in the last 3 years despite six stays around the disabled list throughout that span. The majority of the DL stints happen to be due to leg issues, but he stated he's feeling good after alterations in his offseason routine, including his workout routines and diet.
“I've been working in a lot within the offseason to make sure I remain healthy the entire season,” stated Cruz, whose workout routines yesteryear month happen to be in a Miami facility with teammate Mike Napoli and college gamers planning for that National football league mix. “It's certainly not the same as what I have done before. I seem like it is a better situation and I am in better shape.”
Cruz skipped 29 games last season due to two DL outings triggered with a left hamstring strain along with a strained right quads muscle.
Which was after he skipped 51 games with three separate DL stints this year due to issues with both hamstrings. Despite the fact that he performed only 108 games this year, he matched up a significant league record with five extra-innings homers, three being game-ending shots. Within the 2010 nfl playoffs that year, he'd 13 extra-base hits (six homers), an archive for any single postseason.
The Rangers acquired Cruz inside a trade deadline offer This summer 2006, as he originated from Milwaukee with Carlos Lee.
In the finish of spring learning 2008, the Rangers put Cruz on waivers. But he removed waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma, where he'd an MVP season within the Off-shore Coast League. He rejoined the Rangers for that final six days, striking .330 with seven homers and 26 RBIs in 31 games.
Texas, which has not had an arbitration hearing since winning its situation against Lee Stevens in 2000, is still in talks with Napoli.
Napoli set career levels by striking .320 with 30 homers and 75 RBIs in 113 games in the first season with Texas, once the catcher made $5.8 million after investing his first five seasons using the La Angels. He requested $11.5 million, and Texas offered $8.3 million.
“Clearly only at that juncture, we are likely to turn 100 % in our attention toward dealing with Napoli and explore all of the options there to prevent seeing a hearing if at all possible,” Levine stated.
Post je objavljen 10.02.2012. u 04:30 sati.