The Minnesota Twins traded Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for two minor league pitchers on Monday night, making the first of what could be several moves ahead of the July 30th trade deadline.
#MNTwins complete trade with Tampa Bay Rays.
Club acquires right-handed minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman, in exchange for designated hitter Nelson Cruz and right-handed minor league pitcher Calvin Faucher.
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 22, 2021
Cruz was one of the bright spots in a disappointing season for the Twins, hitting .294 with 19 homers and 50 RBI. After initially coming to the Twins prior to the 2019 season, Cruz was a key figure in the middle of their lineup, hitting 76 home runs and sitting first in franchise history with a .984 OPS.
Despite turning 41 on July 1, Cruz should fit into a Rays lineup that ranks seventh in runs per game (4.89), but has struggled to get production out of the designated hitter spot.
The Rays are finalizing a deal to acquire Nelson Cruz according to @JeffPassan.
Cruz's 19 home runs are tied for 2nd-most among designated hitters this season. While the Rays have struggled to get production from that spot ranking in the bottom 5 in AL in BA, OPS and HR pic.twitter.com/MGffmCw1Hv
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 22, 2021
The Twins will not retain any of Cruz’s $5 million salary remaining for this season and receive right-handers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman.
Ryan is a 25-year-old who is ranked as the Rays’ 10th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Ryan had a tremendous 2019 season, going 9-4 with a 1.96 ERA and led the minor leagues in strikeouts with 183 in 123.2 innings.
Ryan is 4-3 with a 3.63 ERA in Triple-A this season and owns a fastball that clocks in between 92-96 mph. With the addition of a plus-slider, curveball and changeup, MLB Pipeline predicts he could become a mid-rotation starter and could join the Twins later this season.
Strotman was a fourth-round pick in the 2017 MLB Entry Draft and is the No. 17 prospect in the Rays organization. Strotman has a deep arsenal of pitches that are highlighted by his plus-fastball.
Strotman has been dominant in the Rays system after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2018 and is 7-2 with a 3.39 ERA at Triple-A Durham this season. The 24-year-old will need to work on his control but MLB Pipeline projects Strotman could reach the majors by next season.
According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic, the Twins were happy with their return in the deal.
Derek Falvey thinks the #MNTwins probably exceeded what they hoped to get back in return for Nelson Cruz. Says Tampa Bay was very aggressive in pursuing Cruz.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 22, 2021
The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman also reports that Cruz hasn’t ruled out re-signing with the Twins next offseason.
Nelson Cruz on if he'd consider re-signing with the #MNTwins this offseason:
"Definitely. This is my family. I've got a lot of friends I love like family. The city. Everything that I've been through here the last few years has really touched me. We'll see what happens."
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 22, 2021
The question for the Twins is what happens next as they approach the deadline. The Twins have been mentioned frequently in trade rumors the past week and with José Berríos, Byron Buxton and Taylor Rogers hitting free agency after next season, it’s possible that this trade could open the floodgates for a busy deadline.
