Rays Land DH Nelson Cruz in Trade With Twins

Just over a week until the July 30 trade deadline, it appears the first blockbuster domino has fallen.

The Tampa Bay Rays acquired designated hitter Nelson Cruz in a four-player trade with the Twins, in a deal first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan and confirmed by the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota is sending Cruz and minor-league pitcher Calvin Faucher to the Rays for a pair of talented minor-league arms in Joe Ryan and Drew Stotman.

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Cruz, 41, is having another standout year at the plate. He's batting .294/.370/.537 with 19 home runs and 50 RBIs in 85 games. He was named an All-Star for the seventh time in his career, and has finished in the top 10 of MVP voting in each of the past two seasons.

Ryan, a member of the U.S. Olympic team, has a 3.63 ERA in 57 innings for Triple-A Durham this season with 75 strikeouts and just 10 walks.

Strotman, another starter for Triple-A Durham, has a 3.39 ERA in 58.1 innings with 62 strikeouts and 33 walks in his first full season since 2017 after undergoing Tommy John in 2018.

Faucher has struggled in Double-A this season to the tune of a 7.04 ERA with 24 walks in 30.2 innings, but the Rays are likely intrigued by the reliever's elevated strikeout numbers.

Tampa Bay entered Thursday trailing the Red Sox by one game in the American League East and in possession of the top wild card spot. Tampa Bay's current primary DH, Austin Meadows, is hitting .240/.330/.459 with 16 homers in 90 games, and has also spent extended time in left field.

Cruz re-signed with the Twins this past offseason on a one-year, $13 million deal, and is set to become a free agent again this winter.