The Washington Nationals are adding power to the lineup — and bringing back a familiar face.
The Nationals agreed to contracts with designated hitter Nelson Cruz and reliever Sean Doolittle — their latest deals in what’s been a busy period for the team since the lockout has ended.
Cruz, 41, agreed to sign a one-year, $15 million contract with a mutual option for 2023, while Doolittle plans to sign a major league contract., according to reports.
Despite his age, Cruz has remained productive over the past few years and even earned an All-Star appearance in 2021. Last year, the slugger hit 32 homers in 140 games for the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays. Over his career, Cruz is a seven-time All-Star and won the ALCS MVP in 2011. The Nationals will be Cruz’s seventh team in the Major Leagues.
Cruz’s signing comes after Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters that he was looking to add a veteran hitter to the lineup. As part of MLB’s new collective bargaining agreement, the owners and players agreed to implement a universal designated hitter — meaning the National League will no longer have pitchers batting in the lineup.
“We’re going to see what’s out there in the market,” Rizzo said. “I think that there’s a flexibility here that we have that we could bring in a DH-only type, or kind of have a hybrid — that you can have an everyday player that plays a position, and then his days off would be as a DH. So there’s different ways to attack the roster spot and the role, and we’ll see what the market delivers to us kind of to see what type of designated hitter we’re going to use.”
As for Doolittle, the Nationals add another arm to a bullpen — and a player that was a fan favorite over the last few seasons. Doolittle was part of the Nationals’ World Series team in 2019 and played for the club from 2017 to 2020.
He’s coming off a down year, however, as Doolittle struggled with the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners — posting a 4.53 ERA. The Reds outright released Doolittle last August before Seattle picked him up.
Doolittle also isn’t the only reunion for the Nationals this offseason. The team also signed former starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez and outfielder Gerardo Parra to minor-league contracts. Parra, a fan favorite known for using “Baby Shark” as his walkup music, is part of the team’s non-roster invites to spring training.
Nationals additions since lockout:
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 14, 2022
UTIL Ehire Adrianza
RHR Steve Cishek
DH Nelson Cruz
LHR Sean Doolittle
RHP Aníbal Sánchez (Minor league)
Prior:
2B César Hernández
3B Maikel Franco (Minor league)
IF Dee Gordon (Minor League)
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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