Twins scored a rare trade win over Rays in 2021 Nelson Cruz deal

The Minnesota Twins seem to have won last season’s trade with the Tampa Bay Rays centered around Nelson Cruz.

With the 2022 MLB trade deadline set at Aug. 2, fans will look back on deals made in the past. When it comes to the previous year, one of the larger trades was the Minnesota Twins dealing slugger Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays, who were in contention for the AL East title.

One of the players they have received in return for the slugger was pitcher Joe Ryan. So far, he has a 3.18 ERA through his first 20 MLB starts, which is amongst the lowest ever recorded by a Twins pitcher.

Twins win Nelson Cruz trade based off performance by Joe Ryan

At the time of the trade, Ryan was Tampa Bay’s 10th-best prospect. Joining him was Drew Strotman, the No. 17 Rays prospect.

Ryan made his MLB debut late in the 2021 season, starting five games. Through that set of games, he put up a 4.05 ERA, a 0.788 WHIP, and 30 strikeouts over 26.2 innings. Things have only gotten better for the 26-year-old in 2022.

Following his most recent start on July 23 against the Detroit Tigers, Ryan has accumulated a 2.89 ERA, a 1.049 WHIP, 73 strikeouts, and 23 walks over 81.0 innings pitched in 15 starts this season.

The Rays went all-in by bringing in who was the top designated hitter option at the time in Cruz. After putting up a .294 batting average and a .907 OPS with the Twins for the first half of 2021, he was unable to have that same success with the Rays. In 55 games, Cruz slashed .226/.283/.442 while hitting 13 home runs and knocking in 36 RBI.

Cruz signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals this offseason, and could potentially be dealt at this year’s trade deadline.

When it comes to who won the 2021 trade, it is the Twins.