Rumors And Rumblings: Yankees Interested In Nelson Cruz

It comes as no surprise to… well anyone but the Yankees are rumored to have interest in Baltimore Orioles’ slugger Nelson Cruz. After a lackluster offensive display the team’s interest in Cruz should be a no brainer. He hit 40 home runs while driving in 108 runs and sporting a .271 batting average. While he’s 34 years old, his power isn’t going to go anywhere anytime soon especially if he decides to put on pinstripes and bring his massive pop to Yankee Stadium. The interest is there but can they get the deal done?

The Orioles have expressed interest in resigning Cruz but they don’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to dealing out big money contracts. After the monster season he put up in 2014 he’s due for a pricey contract. The Yankees could likely acquire him on a three or four year deal which wouldn’t be a bad move for them as they’d be acquiring an established number three hitter. Right handed power is a rare and coveted luxury in today’s game and the Yankees adding that element in the form of Cruz would be a huge boost for the Bombers lineup.

While he’s not defensively gifted… by any means… he could serve as the Designated Hitter or play in both left and right field. Batting in front of Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez (Even with some of their diminished numbers) and behind Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner, Cruz would have a lot of protection in the lineup which is a plus of him.

Despite being a righty Cruz has shown the ability to go the other way which would allow him to take advantage of the short porch in right field. To Orioles, quite admittedly, were able to sign Cruz because he sought only a one year deal so he could bolster his numbers and seek a bigger contract this off season.

While many see a return to Baltimore as a likely move he won’t take a discount to return and the organization will have to prioritize with first baseman Chris Davis and catcher Matt Wieters heading to free agency in the coming years. If the Yankees come calling and give him an offer he can’t refuse it’d be hard to return to the O’s.

Will the Yankees turn this rumor into a reality? We’ll have to wait and see. It’d sure be a nice sight to Yankees fans to see him in pinstripes come 2015.