MLB Seattle Mariners

Nelson Cruz Makes Seattle Mariners Contenders In 2015

Nelson Cruz

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All offseason, the Seattle Mariners have stressed the importance of landing a right-handed power bat in the outfield. They may have landed the best one available by inking outfielder Nelson Cruz, who led the big leagues in home runs last season.

The deal is worth a reported $57 million over four years with a $1 million signing bonus. After having a huge year in Baltimore, Cruz parlayed his performance into a multi-year deal towards the twilight of his career. For the Mariners, they may have signed him one year late in terms of having more financial flexibility as they debated signing him to a short-term deal last offseason.

Now that he’s in Seattle, there is no doubt the Mariners will be among a handful of teams competing for the AL pennant in 2015. Their lineup now looks extremely promising with Cruz in the middle protecting the likes of  Robinson Cano. Even if they’re done making moves this offseason, the Mariners could be a scary team offensively.

With Cruz as the staple between the top and bottom of the order, the Mariners now boast one of the best and deepest lineups in all of baseball. They will need that in order to compete in the AL West and the AL as a whole. Even though they might not be done just yet, the addition of Cruz just made Seattle even more relevant than when they signed Cano to a massive contract — which is saying a lot.

 

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