Thursday, July 22, 2021

Minnesota Twins trade Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay Rays

Minnesota Twins trade Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay Rays

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Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz, 23, clapped as the stadium played fake crowd noise at the start of a scrimmage during practice session at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. The Minnesota Twins workout in Target ((Photo by Renee Jones Schneider / Star Tribune via Getty Images))

A clubhouse leader and fan favorite will no longer wear the Minnesota Twins uniform for the remainder of the season.

The twins announced ahead of Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim that they had traded designated hitter Nelson Cruz at the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Stroman. The Rays are 57-39 and one game behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.

The Twins are now 41-55 and 17 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the American League Central Division. There are 13.5 games from a wild card playoff course with 66 regular season games remaining.

Cruz joined the Twins in Free Agency prior to the 2019 season. He helped lead the Twins to division titles for the last two seasons, and in 258 games with Minnesota, he hit 0.304 with 76 homers, 45 doubles and 191 RBI. Cruz only represented the Twins at the All-Star Game a few weeks ago.

“It’s hard to leave the family behind and, in this case, to move to another park, to go to another organization. I feel like this was my family and we’ve been through a lot over the years. It’s definitely heartbreaking, “Cruz told reporters on Thursday.

We’ll find out if this is just the first of many moves for the Twins before the Major League Baseball trading deadline ends later this month. More veterans could be treated with the team not fighting for a playoff spot. Josh Donaldson, Byron Buxton and Jose Berrios have all been the subject of new trade rumors.

The post Minnesota Twins trade Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay Rays first appeared on Daily Florida Press.



from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/minnesota-twins-trade-nelson-cruz-to-tampa-bay-rays/

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