Nelson Cruz has worn No. 23 since 2014, and he wanted to continue that with the Rays. David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports

Nelson Cruz had to pay up to wear No. 23 for Rays

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 7/23/21

Nelson Cruz has worn No. 23 at every MLB stop he’s made since 2014. The same will be true with the Tampa Bay Rays, but the number did not come cheap.

Cruz has been the subject of trade rumors for weeks, and the topic came up at the MLB All-Star Game last week. Cruz said Rays coaches joked with him at the game that he would have to do something big to convince pitching coach Kyle Snyder to part with the number.

Cruz is doing that: He said Friday that he plans on getting Snyder a Rolex to land the number.

New #Rays DH Nelson Cruz said the #Rays coaching staff joked with him at the All-Star Game that if he got traded over he would have to get No. 23 from Snyder. Cruz did, and has the number, and said today he'd be looking to buy Snyder a Rolex

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) July 23, 2021

Even a cheap Rolex is going to run Cruz four figures, and the high-end ones are worth upward of $50,000. Of course, Cruz is making $13 million this year, so he can certainly afford it.

Cruz can look at it this way: The price probably could have been way higher.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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