Chicago Cubs Rumors: Ranking the top 10 remaining FA position players

Minnesota Twins v Chicago White Sox
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Nelson Cruz
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Ranking the remaining top 10 - 10. Nelson Cruz

Although Nelson Cruz finally had a down year at the plate, he has essentially been the Father Time of baseball. At 42 years old, Cruz still has an impressive slash line of .274/.344/.515 over his illustrious 18-year career. From 2009 through 2021, he averaged a .279/.349/.535 with 33 HRs and 89 RBIs per 162-game average. He is a seven-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger recipient. He only appeared in 124 games this season due to a particularly down year at the plate for the first time in his career.

Adding Cruz's bat to the lineup gives the Cubs some much-needed pop. He poses the same low-risk, high-reward outcome on a one-year deal as Cody Bellinger. With Xander Bogaerts coming off the board and landing in San Diego on a monster 11-year deal and the San Francisco Giants hot on the trail on Carlos Correa, the chances of the Cubs getting a shortstop are growing slimmer by the day. Nelson Cruz is an acceptable fallback option on a one-year deal to help bridge the gap if the Cubs miss their key targets this winter.

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