I’m confused now. The theoretically rebuilding Washington Nationals reportedly just made the biggest win-win move in the market… OPE WAIT WHEN I PRINT THIS, EVERYTHING JUST GOT CRAZIER.
Okay, look at all this:
BREAKING NEWS: The Nationals have signed a two-year contract with DH Nelson Cruz. @TenchyRodNYC. https://t.co/3oD3KqTGEY
— Hector Gomez (@hgomez27) March 14, 2022
AMENDMENT: 2022 $15 million and 2023 $13 million. Player without options @TenchyRodNYC. https://t.co/NEHbBxPM7V
— Hector Gomez (@hgomez27) March 14, 2022
BREAKING: The New York Yankees are finalizing a deal to acquire third baseman Josh Donaldson and shortstop Isaiah Keener-Falef from Minnesota, ESPN sources say.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2022
Source confirms: The Yankees are acquiring 3B Josh Donaldson, SS Isaiah Keener-Falef and Ben Rortvedt for Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. First: @Jeff Passan.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 14, 2022
So you have the Nationals picking up Nelson Cruz on a two-year contract, the Yankees getting Josh Donaldson and Isaiah Keener-Falefa from the Twins (who just got him from the Rangers), and the Twins getting Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela. . My head is spinning.
Are the Nuts going to make a huge push or something? Are the Yankees happy now with the left side of their infield with these two guys (and Gleiber Torres in second)? Gemini… what are Gemini doing?
What happens now to the teams that wanted Cruz, like the Padres and the Dodgers? Are the Padres confident that Seiya Suzuki will be their big bat so they moved on and Cruz changed? Does this mean that deals with potential buyers are no longer discussed, or are they just as important as ever? Does this mean the Dodgers think they really got Freddie Freeman? Does this open the floodgates for other bat-only guys? I’M BEGIN TO LOSE IT.
This is madness. I’ll have to think.
UPDATE: At the same time, reports from New York suggest that yes, this takes them out of the shortstop market (to the extent that they have ever really been in it):
Kiner Falefa has been a target for a long time #yankees. Watch him as SS until Peraza or Volpe are ready. At the moment NYY IF is most likely LeMahier on 1b, Torres on 2b, Keener Falefa on SS, Donaldson on 3b.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) March 14, 2022
UPDATE 2: Indeed, other people are wondering what Gemini is doing. But they took out a lot of money:
That #MNTwins haven’t finished doing what they’re doing, especially after all of Josh Donaldson’s $50 million disappears from the books.
“Lots of irons.”
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) March 14, 2022
UPDATE 3: On Cruz this does happen to the Nationals, although Rosenthal says it’s one year and Heyman elaborates that the second year is a mutual choice:
The free agent, named by forward Nelson Cruz, is under an agreement with the Nationals to a one-year contract pending a physical, a source says. @TheAthletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 14, 2022
Cruz deal is for 1 year plus a mutual option #nuts
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 14, 2022