In case you’re just tuning in from the winter holiday, the Tampa Bay Rays lost in their bidding for veteran slugger Nelson Cruz, if they were ever really involved, and Troy Tulowitzki is heading to the Yankees, who lost Didi Gregorious to Tommy John surgery earlier in the off-season.
Whether it was ever a serious pursuit for either player is moot, the Rays missed out on adding a significant boost to their offensive output that had already been diminished by their decision to designate C.J. Cron for assignment in November.
Nelson Cruz was healthy and affordable for the Rays, and a deserved focal point for Rays fans this off-season, but the team chose a different door, and I believe the real question is not why the Rays did not sign a 38-year old slugger, but what lies beyond that other door.