Rangers rejected Nelson Cruz's contract offer

The Texas Rangers supposedly rejected a 4 year, $56 million contract offer from Nelson Cruz last winter, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.

A source tells Heyman that Cruz and his former agents, the Levinson brothers of ACES, approached the club last offseason seeking a long term contract extension.

The proposed deal was reportedly worth $56 million over 4 years, and would have payed the slugger $14 million a year. However, the two sides failed to come to terms as Texas declined the offer.

Cruz is currently serving a 50-game suspension after being indicted in the Biogenesis scandal. He is allegedly reporting to the Rangers' instructional league next week, making way for a potential addition to Texas' playoff roster. The addition of Cruz would be a huge upgrade over the struggling David Murphy who is hitting just .222/.282/.381 this season. If Cruz were to rejoin the team, the Rangers outfield makeup would likely compose of Cruz and the recently acquired Alex Rios in the corners, with Craig Gentry and Leonys Martin platooning in center.

Before his suspension, Cruz was hitting .269/.330/.511 with 27 home runs, 76 RBIs, and a 2.2 WAR. He earned a spot on the American League's All-Star game roster in July, and was on pace to top his career high in home runs before being shut down.

The 33 year old Cruz will be a free agent this winter, and should command quite a bit of attention despite the suspension. Although it is unlikely that Cruz will receive an offer in the range of the 4 year, $56 million rejected deal from last offseason, he should still be among the more highly pursued bats in the upcoming free agent market.

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