After staying with the Minnesota Twins for what will be his 17th major league season, Nelson Cruz showed no signs of contemplating an upcoming goodbye.
His bat doesn’t seem ready for retirement either.
“In order for us to get where we want to go, I have to do my best. I have to be at the highest level of my game, so retirement does not cross my mind, ”said the 40-year-old Dominican. “My body feels wonderful, my mind too. So there is no reason. I still love this sport. I don’t know what else I could do. I have some plans for when I retire, but I’m not ready yet. “
The Twins finalized their one-year, $ 13 million deal on Wednesday with the designated hitter, who has been the MVP of the AL Central Champion teams in the past two seasons.
Uncertainty over whether the designated hitter would be used this year in the National League led to the deal being postponed while Cruz’s market ball was evaluated.
But the slugger and the Twins expressed a mutual desire to stay together all this time.
Cruz, who reached the agreement a week ago, said during a video conference that it was made possible by the respect and admiration he feels for team leaders, such as general manager Thad Levine, for whom he previously played with Texas.
In the end, we know we have a lot of affection for each other, a very good relationship, ”said Cruz, who has led the Twins in home runs during each of his last two years with the team, and placed second and fourth in the American League in OPS.
The Dominican, six times selected to the All-Star Game, won the Silver Bat in 2019 and 2020.
Cruz hit .303 with 16 homers and 33 RBIs in 53 games last season, shortened by the pandemic. In 2020, he was awarded the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, by his peers’ vote for the most respected player due to his leadership on the field and in the community.
In each of the past two seasons, Cruz won his Team’s Most Valuable Player award.
“I think we all know what Nelson can do on the field. His power is prodigious. But what he does in our clubhouse and in our community is just as significant, and all clubs are looking for that, ”Levine said.
“I think it is a blessing that he is returning to our team. It is a very important part of it. We have seen him raise the level of play of the people around him. For me, that’s what a champion does. “
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