San Diego Padres Sign 7x All-Star to One Year Deal

The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with designated hitter Nelson Cruz, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports.

DH Nelson Cruz has agreed to a one-year contract with the San Diego #Padres, per @hgomez27
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 11, 2023

Cruz, 42, slashed .234/.314/.651 in 124 games for the Washington Nationals in 2022. He is currently functioning as the general manager of the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic team.

Cruz experienced a down year, by his standards, in 2022. He played like an All-Star in 85 games with the Minnesota Twins in 2021, slashing .294/.370/.907, before he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays midway through the season. Cruz saw a significant drop in production after joining the Rays, batting .226 with just a .283 On Base Percentage and .725 OPS in 55 games.

Over his last 179 games, Cruz has been a shell of himself at the plate. The Padres hope that he can bounce back in 2023.

In his 18-year Major League career, Cruz has been named an All-Star seven times. He's played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, the Twins, Rays and Nationals. He's finished top-15 in American League MVP voting six different times. He's a four-time AL Silver Slugger, and was named the American League Championship Series MVP as a member of the Rangers. With the Rangers, Cruz won back-to-back American League pennants in 2010 and 2011.

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