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The Washington Nationals and free agent OF/DH Nelson Cruz have reached an agreement on a one-year deal, per Ken Rosenthal.
Free-agent designated hitter Nelson Cruz in agreement with Nationals on one-year contract, pending physical, source tells @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 14, 2022
There is also a mutual option for the 2023 season, per reports. When the new CBA unveiled the universal-DH, the teams that could use Cruz doubled. He has been in the major leagues since 2005 and he is the epitome of the power hitter. Sure, he will turn 42 mid-season, but if he keeps putting them over the fence he can crawl around the bases if he wants to.
In 2021, he played with the Toronto Blue Jays splitting time between being the DH and playing first base when they played in the National League. He played in 140 games and hit .265, but he clobbered 32 home runs and 86 RBIs. If you take out the shortened 2020 season, Cruz has hit at least 32 home runs in every season since 2014.