The Texas Rangers have signed reigning ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz to a two-year, $16 million deal, according to a release on the team’s website. The agreement keeps Cruz from going to salary arbitration this season and the next.
The 31-year-old Cruz hit 29 home runs, drove in 87 runs, and hit .263 in 124 games for Texas last season. Over the past three seasons Cruz has averaged 28 home runs and 80 RBIs while hitting .278 with a .534 slugging percentage for the Rangers.
Cruz, the team’s everyday right fielder was at his best in the playoffs though. Though he was just 1-for-15 against Tampa Bay in the first round of the postseason, Cruz rebounded nicely in the ALCS hitting six home runs and driving in 13 runs—all in six games—to power Texas to the World Series.
