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O’s teammates come out to support Cruz at introductory presser

orioles manager player and man in suit sitting at press conference table
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photo: @Orioles

On Tuesday morning, the Orioles held a press conference at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota to officially announce the signing of former Texas Ranger Nelson Cruz. The presser was ostensibly to be broadcast live on MASN, but the crew ran into technical difficulties just a couple minutes after the live feed began.

That aside, it was still a good morning in Birdland, as Dan Duquette, Buck Showalter, and Cruz himself talked about the decisions that led to the slugger coming to Baltimore.

The thing that stuck out most at the press conference, to me, was Cruz’s new teammates showing up to support him. You could tell that Cruz himself appreciated that as well.

“First of all, I want to thank Dan and Buck and my teammates,” Cruz said with a smile. “Thank you for the support.”

The newest Oriole was obviously looking to the back of the room as he said this, making eye contact with guys like Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Nick Markakis, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters, and Darren O’Day, all of whom were in attendance (per Brett Hollander of WBAL).

“[Those guys being here] means they care about their teammates,” Cruz added later on. “From experience I know the closer you are to your teammates, the better you’re going to perform on the field. We are now a family and we’re going to stick together the whole time.”

Cruz, of course, was suspended for 50 games last season for admitting to PED usage during the 2012 season. Markakis has, in the past, been an advocate for stricter penalties for PED usage, going so far as to say guys who use are “stealing money.

Still, he is ready to embrace his new teammate with open arms.

“[Cruz is] my teammate now and I got to be a teammate, and no matter if you disagree or agree with your teammates they are still your teammates,” Markakis said last week, per Britt Ghiroli. “He’s going to be welcome here and we are going to play as one. That’s for sure.”

The fact that so many guys showed up Tuesday morning for the press conference shows that Markakis wasn’t just paying lip service. It was a great first step in letting Cruz know that he, and the rest of his new squad, are ready to forgive and move on with a single goal in mind – the O’s first World Series Championship since 1983.

Note: The entire press conference is scheduled to air at 5 PM today on MASN.

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