Nelson Cruz Rejects Baltimore Orioles’ Qualifying Offer

To the shock of no one, Nelson Cruz has officially rejected the Baltimore Orioles’ qualifying offer to him of $15.3 million. The announcement of the official news came from Roch Kubatko of masn.com.

This news comes as no surprise at all, as it was pretty clear that Cruz was not going to accept an offer with an extent of only one year. The O’s are going to have to put forth a better effort next time to obtain him.

Even if they lose him however, the Orioles would still benefit. They would receive a first-round draft pick from the team that gives him a deal.

The big question that everyone has asked is whether he is worth the money and years that he desires. Here’s what I think: Although he had a breakout season in 2014 and will not repeat that performance, he is still worth a good amount of cash. I would pay him high, but I wouldn’t put too many years on his contract. That would be a mistake.

Cruz is 34-years old and will be 35 by the middle of next season. Signing him to a deal of four or five years would be a bit foolish, in my humble opinion.

The Orioles have a lot of priorities this offseason, which includes re-signing right fielder Nick Markakis, who is currently the longest-tenured Oriole. It will be interesting to see who the Orioles give money to and who they don’t.