Nationals agree to one-year, $15M contract with seven-time All-Star Nelson Cruz

Still one of the most fearsome sluggers in the game at 41 years old, Cruz is generally viewed as exclusively a designated hitter at this point in his career. Of his 140 games played in during the 2021 season, the seven-time All-Star spent all but one of them as his team's DH.

He hasn't appeared in the field in more than one contest since the 2018 campaign and hasn't played in the field for more than five games since 2016. Normally that would've limited Cruz' market in free agency, but with the universal DH in place for the 2022 season, he should be able to maintain his role as just a hitter for Washington.

Cruz earned his first All-Star nod since 2018 last year, finishing the season with 32 home runs and 86 RBIs split between the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays. The native of the Dominican Republic enters his 17th season in the big leagues with 449 career home runs.