With spring training just a few weeks away, free agent outfielder Nelson Cruz still doesn't have a place to go when it all begins, but the market for the outfielder is reportedly heating up.
According to the Boston Globe, teams are starting to show some interest in Cruz.
"Momentum is starting to build in Cruz's favor, Nick Cafardo wrote in the Boston Globe. "While a one-year deal somewhere is still not out of the question, there are teams with right-handed power needs, and Cruz could benefit. The Mariners remain interested, but according to one major league source, "there could be up to four or five teams who could take the plunge in the end."
It's been a rough offseason for Cruz due to the fact that he was busted for PED's and tied to the now-defunct Florida-based Biogenesis clinic that sold at least 14 players performance enhancing drugs and because his free agency is tied to draft pick compensation, meaning that anyone who signs him will have to forfeit a pick in the draft.
The Mariners have already spent a lot of money this offseason, including a 10-year $240 million deal to second baseman Robinson Cano. The Mariners would only have to give up their third-round pick if they sign Cruz, making them a potential landing spot, though his salary demands may be an issue for the team and hold it back from pulling the trigger on a deal.
Other potential suitors for the slugger include the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles while he still hasn't ruled out a return to the Texas Rangers.
Cruz appeared in just 109 games last season due to the suspension, and he hit .266 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs. In 804 career games, Cruz has hit .268 with 157 homers and 489 RBIs in his nine-year career
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