Fernando Cruz's 1-word reaction to becoming a Yankees player

On Tuesday, bullpen pitcher Fernando Cruz took to Instagram to share a snap of an iconic quote from legendary center fielder Joe DiMaggio. Appearing to resonate with DiMaggio's famous words, Cruz's caption shed some light on how he was feeling after joining the most decorated team in the major leagues, the New York Yankees.

"Grateful," Cruz captioned his Instagram story.

Screenshot of Fernando Cruz's Instagram story (Image from - Instagram.com/@fcruz_48 IG Stories)

News of the Yankees' acquisition of Cruz first emerged in late December, as the Bronx Bombers sent catcher Jose Trevino the other way to the Cincinnati Reds. Also arriving with Cruz is catcher Alex Jackson.

Cruz's move to the Yankees is big news not only for the pitcher himself but also for baseball fans back in his home country of Puerto Rico. Per reports, Cruz's trade now makes him the first Puerto Rican to play in the iconic pinstripes since Carlos Beltran, who played in the Bronx from 2014-16.

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Fernando Cruz's trade brings quality and depth to Yankees bullpen

Though the Yankees' acquisition of Fernando Cruz will not be one of the biggest moves of the offseason by any stretch, it certainly has quite a lot of potential to benefit the Yankees quite a lot.

Mainly coming into games in the 2024 season during the latter innings in order to close out victories, Cruz excelled at getting batters to swing and miss his pitches, which was reflected in his strikeout numbers. Last season, Cruz finished with 109 strikeouts. In comparison, Luke Weaver, who was arguably the Yankees' best reliever last season, finished with 103.

The key factor that helps Cruz do his job so well is the sheer variety of pitches he has in his arsenal, leaving hitters constantly guessing. The most deadly of his pitches is his splitter, which is as close to 'un-hittable' as it gets. In the 2024 season, batters facing Fernando Cruz's splitter only managed a .116 batting average.

Heading into the 2025 season, fans will be hoping Cruz can hit the ground running and successfully deal with the responsibility that comes with pitching for one of the biggest organizations in the world of baseball.