Do the Minnesota Twins exercise Nelson Cruz's contract option in 2020?

[Lasorda_This_Out]

Let's start the discussion now? Do the Minnesota Twins exercise Nelson Cruz's contract option in 2020?

 

My opinion? If they don't, bulldoze Target Field, sell the franchise and make the real estate a dog park for hi-rise pet owners....

 

[yarnivek1972]

Assuming he doesn’t get hit by a bus in the next 6 weeks, yes.

[Vanimal46]

Yes, no brainer decision. Let's also keep in mind he's turning 40 and is at the age where the wheels fall off without warning.

[Diesel]

Yes, but let’s hope we don’t add on to the contract a la Phil Hughes.

[Mike Sixel]

Easiest decision ever.

[Don Walcott]

They need to make sure he retires as a Twin, and joins the clubhouse in some role after that. The influence he has had on Sano may be worth a few million a year indefinitely.

[Twodogs]

Easy decision. Could be at 430 to 440 Hrs by the end of next season.

[cmoss84]

Bonus question:

 

How many more years will he play? I have him for 3 more years and finishing with 502 home runs. Would be great if he finishes his career with us. 

[Puckett34]

Yes. No brainer. I think its a fairly economical option as well. <$15 million I believe.

[rdehring]

Yes, yes and yes.  Would also be smart to pay him a bit extra to tack on a team option for 2021.  

[howeda7]

Seriously? This is not a question.

[DocBauer]

Absolutely. Shouldn't even be a question. But I agree on no extension. No matter how great he is, there is still the chance Father Time begins to catch up in 2020.

[beckmt]

Yes and no question.  Agree with tacking on a team option for 2021, if Cruz is interested.

[yarnivek1972]

Yes. No brainer. I think its a fairly economical option as well. <$15 million I believe.

I believe it’s $12 mil. $2 mil LESS than 2019.

[wabene]

Would he give in to another team option? IDK why he would but if he did of course another no brainer. The idea of Nelson remaining with the team in some capacity after the playing days are done would be fabulous. The chemistry is so good here we have to bring the band back.

[Steve Lein]

Yes.

[Blake]

Do the Twins exercise Cruz's option?

 

It depends: Are they doing cardio and weights or just cardio?

[LimestoneBaggy]

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/95/958a278534504f30e1d04fce2c50818535f926c9e6f0aa5f6fa800f0e3799ad3.jpg

[Dantes929]

Tori Hunter was pretty good at age 38 when he signed with the Twins.   His 39 year started pretty well but then took a nose dive and was pretty much done and he seemed to keep himself in very good shape.   Jim Thome was awesome at age 39, still very good at 40 and then tapered off at 41 before calling it quits.    I have no problem picking up the option because this year alone was worth more than 27 mil and I hope next year is as well but no one has beat Father Time yet.   Unless you take the Steve Wright position.   "I plan to live forever.   So far so good".

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

Take the Steve Wright position.   "I plan to live forever.   So far so good".

I didn't know Steven Wright could play baseball. But he would be good for clubhouse parties. Sign him.

[jkcarew]

 

I didn't know Steven Wright could play baseball. But he would be good for clubhouse parties. Sign him.

You didn't? He does. But let's not sign him...he's currently on the 60-day IL (for the Red Sox).

[VATwinsFan]

 

They need to make sure he retires as a Twin, and joins the clubhouse in some role after that. The influence he has had on Sano may be worth a few million a year indefinitely.

Fun fact:

 

Over the last 30 games (AB+BB) Sano has struck out about 38% of the time.

 

Over the last 15 games the K rate is about 35%.

 

Over the last 7 games it's about 26%.

 

For the season he's at about 36%.

[diehardtwinsfan]

easy answer... yes. There's really no one ready right now to replace that kind of production.

 

Long term, if he keeps producing next season, I could see them giving him a similar deal to the one he just did (though with AK, Rooker, and Weil in the system, who knows). Not many teams go out and get a free agent DH, so he doesn't have a ton of suitors. 

[Rosterman]

I'm not 100% sure. We could do another run on Logan Morrison, now playing for the Phillies.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morrilo01.shtml

[ashbury]

Would he give in to another team option? IDK why he would but if he did of course another no brainer.

Team options generally come with a buyout price, so while a fresh option rather than extension sounds odd, perhaps the right balance between risk to the player and risk to the team could be worked out along those lines.

 

A next buyout would need to be larger than the present paltry one of $300K, but maybe not 10X that. At this age there are fewer precedents to go by (not that I've researched it).

 

A player in his spot may consider it best to ask "give me money this coming year (i.e. exercise my option), and a little guarantee for next (let's agree on a new option)", when multi-year full-guarantees are no longer being offered to him because of age and career-ending injury risk. Conversely, the team says, "we'll guarantee you $2M now, in effect bumping your 2020 salary to 2019's, if you agree to play for $10M in 2021 at our option," giving them some cost certainty. Maybe this is a sweet spot for both, or something close - or maybe I'm nuts, and they go some different route.

 

Separately, it's entirely possible that with his current wrist tendon problem, he hangs it up after this season.

[ewen21]

 

They need to make sure he retires as a Twin, and joins the clubhouse in some role after that. The influence he has had on Sano may be worth a few million a year indefinitely.

I will tell you what I learned about Nelson Cruz this year.  He is the consumate pro.  He is proof that a leader doesn't need to scream and yell or do silly things to "build chemistry"

 

A leader is actually a role model.  A guy who other players look at and say .....damn, I should be more like that guy because he does everything right!  He is a player who has obviously held himself to a high standard because he is in excellent condition and he seems to be very invested in the game (and yet on an even keel).

 

How can a guy like Sano or any other player actually argue with this guy if he makes a suggestion they might not like?  You don't need someone "getting in people's face" when you have a pro like Nelson Cruz.

 

Analytics cannot measure what he has meant to this team and for these reasons I say give him the right number.  I would be thoroughly disappointed if this was his only year with us.

[BD57]

 

Assuming he doesn’t get hit by a bus in the next 6 weeks, yes.

 

How big of a bus?  If it's small enough, maybe even then .... 

[Jerr]

After his World Series with the Twins this year, he ain't going no where but here.

[amjgt]

Yes, no brainer decision. Let's also keep in mind he's turning 40 and is at the age where the wheels fall off without warning.

I know people keep saying that.... but is it actually true?

[Old Twins Cap]

One more year of Cruz and Sano will be able to visualize the kind of career he's always fantasized about. And how to go about achieving it, on a personal as well as professional level.

 

Cruz's extension is worth more in a coaching sense than even his very high production numbers.

 

He's a stud, and a leader in a way that empowers others.