Nelson Cruz was designated for assignment by the San Diego Padres last week, and is now rumored to be gaining interest from multiple teams.
The 43-year-old is the second oldest active player in the MLB, behind Rich Hill by about for months. He was still going strong for a while, before being sent down by the Padres amid a slump.
Many fans were surprised by the move, and Twitter users were coaxing their teams to make a move on the slugger, including fans of the Yankees, Mariners, and Twins, some of whom were his former teams.
It is being reported that multiple teams are pursuing Cruz despite his age, per MLB insider Hector Gomez. His original source is a Dominican reporter named Tenchy Rodriguez, who wrote in Spanish that several teams have contacted Cruz's agent.
Article Continues Below“Nelson hasn't stopped working with fitness and hitting coaches,” Rodriguez alleged on Twitter.
Cruz was signed to a veteran contract of 1-year, $1 million this offseason with the Padres, as they were not willing to put a large sum of money into the aging power hitter.
Cruz is hitting .245 this year for the Padres, but hasn't made a ton of plate appearances. He had been bashing 37 or more homers for several seasons leading up to 2019, before his totals dropped off in recent years to just 10 in 2022, and five this season.
Earlier this year, he became the third-oldest player to have 6 RBI's in a game, joining Barry Bonds territory. While he is getting up there in age, it doesn't look he is ready to hang up the cleats just yet.