Designated hitter Nelson Cruz and the Minnesota Twins agree on a one-year $ 13 million deal, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Cruz, 40, is at the heart of the Bomba Squad Twins lineup. And he will be there again in the middle of 2021.
The slugger, who hit .303 with 16 home runs, 33 RBI’s and a career-high OPS + (169) in the pandemic-shortened season, finished sixth in the American League MVP voting and was selected as the Marvin Miller Man of Year in the annual Players Choice Awards.
The award goes to the player his colleagues “respect most based on his leadership on the field and in the community”. Cruz donated a fire engine and an ambulance and helped build a police station in his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic, and his Boomstick 23 Foundation contributed wheelchairs and crutches, and he set up a clinic to provide medical and dental care. to provide. care.
His mission to help his hometown and other cities in the Dominican Republic led to him being awarded the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the ESPYS 2020.
The Designated Hitter played for a $ 12 million deal last season after hitting 41 home runs while reaching 108 RBI’s in 2019, despite two stints on the injured list due to a wrist problem. He has hit the 40-homer four times in his career; Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth hold the all-time record with five seasons. Cruz was also the 57th player in Major League history to hit 400 home runs.
His .992 OPS in 2020 ranked fourth in the AL and was the fifth-best figure in MLB history by a player in his season age 39 or older, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information. And he has led all major divisions for the past two seasons with a 1,182 OPS on battlefield fields.
From 2014 to 2018, no player in the majors hit more home runs than Cruz (203). In 16 Major League-seasons, Cruz, a six-time All-Star with three Silver Slugger Awards, has hit 417 home runs with 1,152 RBI’s and a .278 batting average for the Twins, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers and Brewers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.