In a column for WEEI, John Tomase reports that Red Sox DH David Ortiz lobbied for his team to sign then-free agent slugger Nelson Cruz during each of the past two off-seasons. Heading into 2015, Cruz was coming off of a season in which he led the majors with 40 home runs while driving in 108 runs and hitting .271/.333/.525.
Cruz, now 35, wound up signing a four-year, $57 million deal with the Mariners. He’s currently the major league leader in home runs with 36, having knocked in 74 runs and compiled a .321/.389/.611 triple-slash line.
Cruz described Ortiz’s efforts to bring him to Boston:
“He was all in,” Cruz recalled this weekend. “Anytime we played, he reminded me that he wanted me here. It meant a lot. I’m a fan of him, and also a good friend. When a player like him, a future Hall of Famer, requests for you to play with him, it’s definitely something that grabs you.”
Cruz said the Red Sox never contacted him about a potential deal.
