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The San Diego Padres have signed veteran slugger Nelson Cruz to a one-year, $1 million deal. Cruz, who came off a poor performance at the plate last year, had surgery this off-season. The surgery was to fix inflammation and blurry vision in his right eye.
We should see a vastly improved Cruz at the plate next season. He can also be a mentor to the younger guys on the Padres. It's a good signing for the club.
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Fans seem to be split on the signing. Some are questioning why the team is bringing in another DH when they have Matt Carpenter. Others believe that Cruz can make an immediate impact on the club.
The team's GM, A.J. Preller, is more than familiar with Cruz. Preller was with the Texas Rangers when Cruz played for them.
"Love seeing the older guys keep playing because they want to but it sue looked like game over for Nelson last year. Why not tag on for what should be a playoff shot in San Diego?" one fan mentioned.
"So 2 DHs? Um ok." another fan tweeted.
After signing a star like Xander Bogaerts, this doesn't really move the needle for Padres fans. You can't blame them, though. Nelson Cruz is coming off an uninspiring 2022 season.
Fans would have liked the signing better if it had happened almost 10 years ago. They don't think Cruz brings any value to the team. They would have liked to see the money used elsewhere.
Don't be surprised if Nelson Cruz bounces back next season with the San Diego Padres
It's hard to track 100 MPH fastballs, let alone try to do it with blurry vision. This is what Cruz was dealing with last season. To make it worse, it was his left eye that had the problem. As a right-handed batter, his left eye is the lead eye when trying to track pitches.
It's crazy to see that he even hit 10 home runs last year while dealing with that. Since the season ended, he has had surgery to fix the problem. The surgery was a success, and he'll be ready to go when Spring Training comes.
With his vision restored, don't put it past Nelson Cruz to have a monster season. Much like Albert Pujols did last season with the St. Louis Cardinals.
It will be interesting to see how well Cruz does with the San Diego Padres.
