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Seattle ownership decreed at start of winter: No Cruz or any PED guys
October 12, 2014 3:43 pm MT
Mariners ownership decreed early last winter that the team would not be signing slugger Nelson Cruz or and other free agent with a PED connection, so from the start they never had a realistic chance to sign Cruz.
The Tacoma New-Tribune reported recently that the Mariners "backed away" from an agreement between Mariners baseball people and Cruz on a deal for one year and an option that was to pay Cruz about $7.5 million in 2014 and include an option for about $9 million for 2015, and there definitely appeared to be talks between the Mariners and Cruz. It's possible, too, there may well have been some sort of contingent deal. However, people familiar with the situation say ownership's position could not have been a surprise to the Mariners' baseball people as they were told from the start there would be no Cruz coming.
It is, of course, quite possible Seattle's baseball people were holding out hope they could convince ownership such a deal for Cruz would be worthwhile, as it's possible ownership's unwillingness to do a deal with Cruz might have been more about concerns he'd perform to his usual level in the year after his PED suspension more than any moral objection.
Robinson Cano, the Mariners' big free-agent signing this past winter, pushed hard for the team to sign Cruz, and maybe that provided extra impetus for Mariners baseball people to keep considering the issue even after the decree. In any case, as the News-Tribune reported, ownership never softened its stance.
The Cano signing for $240 million paid off big for the Mariners, but Cruz, who led the American League in home runs, turned out to be a major bargain for the Orioles, who wound up winning the AL East. Seattle lost out on a wild-card playoff spot by one game.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik declined comment on the episode.