Cruz among M's offseason decisions

So finally we’re putting baseball to bed, just before the first snowfall.

Sadly for fans in the Northwest, the Mariners’ season has been over for some time now.

Despite winning 89 games, the fourth-highest total in franchise history, the M’s playoff drought was extended to 17 seasons as they finished 14 games behind the powerhouse Astros in the West and eight games behind Oakland in a chase for the second wild-card spot.

To put the Mariners’ record in perspective, Kansas City won 89 games in 2014 and went all the way to the seventh game of the World Series.

In fact, the Royals even managed to win the wild-card elimination game at home, since Oakland scraped into the playoffs that year with a record of 88-74.

Besides noting that the M’s picked the wrong season to win 89, I mentioned 2014 for another reason.

We get so used to seeing this event that we probably take it for granted, but since the start of the 2014 season, Nelson Cruz has hit 203 home runs — most in the major leagues.

AND THAT brings us to GM Jerry Dipoto’s toughest off-season decision.

Does Seattle offer another contract to the free agent Cruz — who has said several times that he’d like to stay?

There are three parts to this call …

First, how effective will Cruz be at 38?

Nelson’s quick and powerful bat delivered 37 homers and 97 RBIs this year, which suggests there’s no reason to suspect any dramatic decline.

The second thing is what the M’s want to do with Robinson Cano, who missed 80 games due to suspension.

Where will he play if not DH?

And finally, Cruz can be a critical piece for a winning team that has serious playoff designs — a club whose window for the playoffs and maybe the World Series is right now.

I’D THINK that the Mariners fit that description.

Cano is no kid at 36, by the way. Kyle Seager will turn 31 this week and Felix Hernandez (if he can find his good stuff again, a la Justin Verlander in his mid-30s) will be 33 at the start of the 2019 season.

Seems to me it’s now or never for this edition of the Seattle Mariners.

That seems especially true now, since the farm system isn’t particularly deep nor ready to produce a handful of ready-made big leaguers.

If you run with that thought, then there’s no question: Cruz needs be kept in this lineup.

Put Cruz and Cano together for a full season, expect more from All-Star Mitch Haniger, get another solid year from Jean Segura and hope Seager remembers how to make contact.

That lineup would score.

So the easiest decision should be retaining Cruz.

You don’t give away a bat like that if you’re serious about viewing the postseason from somewhere besides your couch.

I’m guessing Dipoto knows that.

At least you’d hope so.

- • •

Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press.

A Brand New Day appears from Wednesday through Saturday each week. Steve’s sports column runs on Tuesday.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Facebook: BrandNewDayCDAPress

Twitter: @BrandNewDayCDA