The San Diego Padres, where Kim Ha-seong plays, recruited a veteran geopo. MLB.com, the official website of the Major League Baseball (MLB), announced on the 12th (Korean time) that “San Diego has signed a contract with Nelson Cruz (outfielder).”
Cruz wears a San Diego uniform on the condition of receiving 1 million dollars (approximately 1.24 billion won) for one year of his contract.
Cruz is a veteran from the Dominican Republic, born in 1980. He joined the New York Mets as an international amateur free agent in 1998 and made his MLB debut in 2005 with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Until last season, he played in 2008 individual games and recorded a batting average of 207.04 (7358 at bats, 2018 hits), 459 homers and 1302 RBIs.
He played for Milwaukee, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, and Minnesota Twins, and in 2021, he also ate rice with Choi Ji-man (now Pittsburgh Pirates) as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Although he is old enough, he played an active role last season with the Washington Nationals in 124 games with a batting average of 2.34, 10 homers and 64 RBIs. Cruz was selected as an All-Star seven times during his playing career and was named the Silver Slugger Award four times, given to the best hitter at each position.
He’s likely to come out primarily as a designated hitter in San Diego. MLB.com added, “Crews hasn’t played an outfield defense since 2018.”
With the recruitment of Cruz, there is also talk that the trade of Kim Ha-sung is imminent. San Diego is actively seeking new players in the offseason. There is also a position duplication problem here, and there are teams that want Kim Ha-seong. 메이저놀이터
On the other hand, regardless of the recruitment of Cruz, there is a prospect that Kim Ha-seong will move from shortstop to second baseman to solidify his position in the team for the 2023 season.
Meanwhile, Cruz is expected to join San Diego after participating in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Cruz is the general manager of the Dominican Republic baseball team.