Twins Trade Nelson Cruz to the Rays for Two AAA Starting Pitchers

Great trade for both teams! It had to be done and for Cruz as a rental we got some quality pieces to next years puzzle. 2 guys who have a legit shot at the rotation next year!  Let’s keep shopping!!!

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According to Bob Nightengale, the deal will involve four players including pitcher Drew Strotman... He has spent 2021 with the Rays Triple-A affiliate in Durham, NC...
 ... Joe Ryan is a 25-year old right-hander. He has spent the season with Triple-A Durham as well...

Rumor has it the Twins were really after Laloosh, but the Rays are planning to call him up in September.  When asked about this possible opportunity, the young flamethrower replied, "“I’m just happy to be here. Hope I can help the ball club."

8^p

But seriously, here's the best possible outcome:

Nellie gets his ring.  Twins sign him in the offseason as player/bench coach;  MLB and the Players Association agree on a new CBA.  Nellie reaches 500 HRs as a Twin in early 2023 and retires in Minnesota whenever he's good and ready.

27 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Sad to see Cruz go. I'm interested in the two pitchers though. I'd stick them in the rotation ahead of Ober, Jax and Sand right now. Or at least as soon as the Olympics are over. The Twins need to start finding some power arms for the rotation ASAP.

I little odd that the Twins are the sellers and they're the team taking on two guys requiring 40-man-spots though.

A lot of people complained that these trades would not help us for 4-5 years.  Are we going to also complain we are getting guys that can help almost immediately because they require a 40 man spot?

I've liked the Rays for many years, so I am happy he went there. I imagine he will be terrorizing the Twins soon enough.

Hate to see Nellie go but it was inevitable.  Hopefully the pitchers we got will work out and Twins don't wreck their development like they have with others.  Cruz was fun to watch.  Not much left to watch now.

What am I missing here? I mean, Cruz could be a real difference maker for the Rays, but a top pitching prospect and another good pitching prospect, both at AAA and from an organization known for finding and developing arms for a half season rental?

Intrigued and excited! But this just seems too good to be true.

28 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Was I complaining? It was an observation. Did you not read the first paragraph where I asked for them to be inserted into the rotation ASAP?

 

Fair enough.  I stand corrected.

Inevitable day. No matter. It sucks to lose Cruz. I hate the Rays. I hope everyone's optimism on the 2 pitchers is justified. If so, its a good trade. You could tell the Twins were going thru the motions tonight. Their heart clearly wasn't on the field as they sleepwalked thru a  3-2 loss to the Angels.

I seriously doubt they will try and re-sign him next season. If they want to give the young guys a chance, why sign a near 42 year old DH? It always hurts to lose a popular and productive player. When TB comes to Minnesota in a couple weeks, I hope Cruz hits a ton of HR's and the fans give him a large ovation.

I guess I love the DH after all, because we got to enjoy 2 of the classiest guys in baseball because of it in the Target Field era, Jim Thome and Nelson Cruz.

Gonna miss Cruz: loved the night someone gave everybody robes, and his became the regal cape in the dugout after runs scored. Also loved the routine he had with Sano. 

Losing Rosario in the offseason, now Cruz, the Twins have zero swagger about them, except maybe Donaldson.

Here's a plug for Josh Donaldson. Not too many others in the bigs who play so hard.

Having seen both of these guys at Durham, I can say that Ryan is a beast and has a very bright future. Strotman has command issues but when he is right, he is very tough. His future is cloudy though he could be a 4th or 5th starter or long reliever. I doubt he would be a closer though. Ryan could be anywhere from a 1 to a 3 if you believe in that stuff. 

26 minutes ago, insagt1 said:

Inevitable day. No matter. It sucks to lose Cruz. I hate the Rays. I hope everyone's optimism on the 2 pitchers is justified. If so, its a good trade. You could tell the Twins were going thru the motions tonight. Their heart clearly wasn't on the field as they sleepwalked thru a  3-2 loss to the Angels.

I seriously doubt they will try and re-sign him next season. If they want to give the young guys a chance, why sign a near 42 year old DH? It always hurts to lose a popular and productive player. When TB comes to Minnesota in a couple weeks, I hope Cruz hits a ton of HR's and the fans give him a large ovation.

Because Cruz is the best thing the Twins have and will have. That's why you sign him again if you can. We don't have anyone else that comes close and you can't get anyone else at this point. But let's see who becomes available in the off-season. Personally, I hope we can get Marte but I doubt it.

Nelly is one of my favorite Twins of all time even if it was only 2 1/2 years.  Monster bat and the best clubhouse leader I have ever seen.  You will be missed Mr. Cruz but go mash in Tampa and get that franchise a ring!

That being said it was the right move, 12 something years of controllable pitching for 1/2 a year of boomstick in a wasted season is a major win.

Everybody wins with this deal. Cruz goes to a playoff contender, as he thoroughly deserves. Two young pitchers on the cusp of The Show should get late-season tryouts, along with Blaze and Duran. Twins might wind up stocked with young starters. 

Trading pitchers with the Rays is a bit scary. I put the over/under on Faucher’s first Cy Young at 2.5 years. That’s just how it works for the Twins. Best of luck to Nelson Cruz and the 2021 Rays. I will miss him and the long over the fence memories. THANK YOU MR. CRUZ

Short but sweet. Cruz will always be a favorite. I hope he gets a ring and now I have another team to root for this year (who might even win a playoff game!).

11 hours ago, Bomba2026 said:

Wth....It was so fun the past years watching the Bomba Squad and now my 2nd fav is gone. I am beyond words for the "great" trades the front office makes....Do they realize they have fans? Im sure most are now here to see Ohtani this series. Beer please.......oh, I forgot it's now the Curse of Rosario and Nelly....

 

 

 

 

 

 

It stinks to see your club lose your favorite players. There could be more gut punches to come before the trade deadline. One of the worst feelings as a fan is to see your club as a seller at the trade deadline. I know this was the right move and might pay dividends in the future. It's really devastating to see the dreams and promise of a championship that the 2019 (and 2020) Bomba Squad brought to Twins fans slowly crumble away.

10 hours ago, VivaBomboRivera! said:

Rumor has it the Twins were really after Laloosh, but the Rays are planning to call him up in September.  When asked about this possible opportunity, the young flamethrower replied, "“I’m just happy to be here. Hope I can help the ball club."

 

8^p

But seriously, here's the best possible outcome:

Nellie gets his ring.  Twins sign him in the offseason as player/bench coach;  MLB and the Players Association agree on a new CBA.  Nellie reaches 500 HRs as a Twin in early 2023 and retires in Minnesota whenever he's good and ready.

The best possible outcome has no mention of the Twins winning anything? 

12 hours ago, Thegrin said:

My wife has gone into morning for the loss of Cruz. She says she's still going to wear her Cruz jersey to Twins games.

It was confusing at the park. Last night was our first visit to Target Field since the end of the Bomba season in 2019. It felt surreal and sad to see fans wearing Cruz 23 shirts, as he was scratched from the lineup just when we were settling into our seats. There were repercussions in the lineup, especially at 3rd base. Donaldson moved over to DH and Astudillo had a tough night at the hot corner. He missed a cutoff throw to allow the batter second base and was unable to handle three tough plays. I think JD would have made two of them.

27 minutes ago, theBOMisthebomb said:

The best possible outcome has no mention of the Twins winning anything? 

Sometimes it's enough to wish someone well without wishing for anything for ourselves.

Rays have a 40-man crunch every year and are long in pitching prospects. They're going for it this year (as they should) and made a big bid to get Cruz, who fills a huge need for them before anyone else could get him and to get the extra games before the deadline to really maximize his value. They may have "overpaid", but this is where it doesn't really hurt you and why you shouldn't worry about "winning" the trade because you're getting what you absolutely need.

Twins give up a great player in Cruz, but he's a FA after the season, he's 9000 years old, and the team is going nowhere. They got 2 pitching prospects that are close to the majors, which is key because they're short on starting pitching right now. It looks like very good value and fit in with a strategy of trying to reload for next year rather than tear down and rebuild.

A smart trade for both teams. If the Rays win a title, they won't care what either of these prospect do. If either of these prospects make the rotation for the Twins, they won't care if Cruz helps Tampa win a title.

Good luck to Nelson Cruz, a great hitter and class act. Probably the best FA signing of all-time for the Twins and the best DH (not really a position of strength, historically, but still) of all-time.

Gonna miss seeing nelly in the twins lineup. When we brought him in we were a team on the rise but still needed a legit star, and Nelson Cruz was that despite being a Dh only. He was great in the clubhouse and in the city. One of the easiest twins to root for in my lifetime. I hope he gets a ring in Tampa. As far as the trade goes, I’m very pleased with the return for an expiring 41 year old DH. 
 

here is my updated prospect list

1. Royce Lewis

2. Jordan Balazovic

3. Josh Winder

4. Chase Petty

5. Jhoan Duran

6. Joe ryan 

7. Jose Miranda

8. Matt Canterino

9. Aaron Sabato

10. Keoni Cavaco

11. Gilberto Celestino

12. Matt Walner

13.  Noah Miller

14. Masial Urbina

15. Drew Strotman

16. Bailey Ober

17. Edward Julien

18. Steve Hajjar

19. Spencer Steer

20. Brent Rooker

14 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The next week could be interesting. I know that Terry Ryan was not a popular man with most of the people on Twins Daily, but I am still waiting to be impressed by anything from the current management team. I'm hoping Nelson Cruz was asked his thoughts on joining a pennant chase and that the trade today was a result of such conversations. Unless I hear differently, I will assume the best of intentions from Falvine and watch a few more Tampa games. 

Well, it was the current front office that signed Nelson Cruz as a free agent, twice, so that’s pretty impressive.

Why is it the Whiz Kids in the front office seem to always need to get pitchers coming off Tommy John surgery? It hasn't worked out in the last 5 tries. Why continue down that path?

Supposedly San Diego was involved in the Cruz sweepstakes. We'll most likely never know but I am curious as to what their offer may have been. Toronto, Tampa Bay, San Diego and the Dodgers have the most appealing systems.