Nelson Cruz introduced after signing four-year deal with Mariners

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon is happy to have balance in the lineup with the addition of slugger Nelson Cruz.

BY SHANNON DRAYER

Dec 4, 2014, 1:34 PM Updated: 2:20 pm

The Mariners introduced Nelson Cruz after the slugger signed his four-year, $58 million deal with Seattle. (AP)

(AP)

Nelson Cruz has signed his contract and held his introductory press conference. He has his uniform and is ready to go home and enjoy his offseason. It is a far cry from where he was this time last year – teamless and uncertain where he would land. You put up 40 home runs in a season and things change drastically.

“It’s one of the happiest moments of my life to get the deal done, to have a place to call home for four years and to be a part of the race,” Cruz said Thursday. “That’s what you play for, and as a player who has been in the playoffs before, you want to be there every year.”

Cruz wasn’t the only grateful Mariner in the room. Manager Lloyd McClendon was thrilled to have a right-handed hitter that brings balance to what was a troublesome lineup last year.

“I woke up this morning and I thanked my lucky stars,” he said.

McClendon gains a right-handed bat but loses a uniform number. Hanging above the stage at the press conference was Cruz’s new Mariners jersey. The number 23 on it was a bit of a surprise. Turns out all it took to get the jersey was an assist from Robinson Cano and a few fine Dominican cigars.

“Cano called me and asked if I would like my number and said he would call Lloyd about that,” Cruz said.

McClendon told Cano to have Cruz give him a call personally and he would see what they could get worked out. McClendon showed off one of the cigars in a bright red case at the press conference. A small price to pay for the player they have spent some time trying to acquire to help complete the lineup.

“Cruz is a winner,” McClendon said. “He comes to play every day. He hits home runs, he drives in runs, he gets big hits when the game is on the line. He hits the best pitching, not just the mediocre pitching, and he is unbelievable in the clubhouse.”

Cruz acknowledged that he was close to coming to the Mariners last year but said that in the end, “We didn’t make it happen.” The Mariners have taken a big step forward in the last year, and that was an important factor for Cruz in determining where he would play this season.

“I want to win, that is the main goal,” he said. “I’ve been in the playoffs a few times, I have been in the World Series. I think we have what it takes to go to the World Series and win it. That made the decision more easy.”

As for having a career season at age 33 last year with Baltimore, Cruz doesn’t believe there was much mystery to why he put up the numbers he did.

“I think it was health,” he said. “I was able to stay healthy and take that many at-bats, accumulate the numbers. I had a chance to look at the year before when I had 109 games and what I did that year with 109 games, it was really close how similar they look. It’s how many at-bats you can take, how many games you can play and the numbers are going to be there.”

McClendon’s focus will be to keep Cruz healthy and on the field for as many games as possible. His will get most of his at-bats as the Mariners’ designated hitter but will see the field some, too.

“I have got to be smart about it,” McClendon said. “This will be something that Nelson and I will sit down and talk about and we will come to conclusion where he will be comfortable with the game plan, and we are going to try to make sure he stays healthy for the entire year and is a very productive player.”

“DH’ing is boring,” Cruz said matter-of-factly before breaking into a smile. “But I understand my role. I am here to contribute whatever my role might be. I am here to help. Lloyd made the call.”

Cruz is here because of his bat and he is not concerned about the transition from hitter-friendly Camden Yards to Safeco Field.

“I’m pretty comfortable with this division,” he said. “I’ve played here all my life. I know Safeco Field, I know this division, there’s nothing new for me. All the other info I needed to know, I know already.”

While Cruz has taken care of his offseason business, the Mariners will continue with theirs.

“We were challenged with balance in the lineup. We had no balance,” McClendon said in reference to last season. “With the addition of Nelson, that gives us tremendous balance and hopefully we are not done. We will see what happens.”

Notes

• According to McClendon, LHP J.A. Happ would slot into the No. 3 or 4 spot in the rotation if the season were to start tomorrow.

“He pitched in a tough ballpark in Toronto and his numbers were still pretty decent,” McClendon said. “I think the opportunity to pitch here at Safeco will make him better. He will be more comfortable because he is a fly-ball pitcher. A fly-ball pitcher in Toronto is not a good thing. I think you will see his numbers jump considerably.”

• INF Willie Bloomquist is in town and stopped by the press conference. His rehab from microfracture surgery has been going well and he was was moving around normally.

• Zduriencik reiterated that he is not trading RHP Hisashi Iwakuma and that he had no idea about the origins of reports stating that was a possibility.

• Happ is most likely not on the move either, although Zduriencik said he has already received a call about him.