David Schoenfield hands out grades as the Tampa Bay Rays acquire DH Nelson Cruz and minor league RHP Calvin Faucher from the Minnesota Twins for minor league RHPs Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in the first major deal ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline.
Tampa Bay Rays: A
First off, I love that the Rays struck early to acquire Cruz. Having him for seven or eight additional games could be a big deal in a division race that may come down to the final day of the season. Cruz turned 41 this month, but he has lost little -- if anything -- at the plate, hitting .294/.370/.537 with 19 home runs in 85 games. Simply put, the Rays get one of the best hitters in the game. Cruz ranks ninth in the majors in OPS+ in 2021 and fourth over the past two seasons among qualified batters. He's especially crushed left-handers with a .362/.410/.600 line, which also fits what the Rays need. They are 26th in the majors in OPS against lefties compared to 12th against right-handers. Oh, it's perhaps worth mentioning that Cruz owns a career 1.019 OPS in the postseason with 17 home runs in 46 games.
Cruz will slot into the full-time DH role, a position the Rays have started seven different players, with Austin Meadows (47 games) getting most of the starts there. Meadows presumably moves into a platoon role in right field as he has .904 OPS against righties and .580 against lefties. So the Rays are really upgrading at two positions: DH and right field, with their roster versatility becoming an even bigger asset with Cruz locked into DH. If the Rays can get rookie Wander Franco -- he's scuffling with a .624 OPS 20 games into his career -- their lineup will look much like a potential World Series lineup.
They did pay a steep price to ensure Cruz ended up here rather than with the A's or perhaps the White Sox, but keep in mind that the Rays are so loaded with depth that every offseason they run into a 40-man roster crunch anyway, and this a deal that could push them over the top.
Minnesota Twins: A
In moving early, the Rays did give up two good pitching prospects for a rental player.
Ryan -- a member of the U.S. Olympic team, by the way -- is in Triple-A where he has a 3.63 ERA with 75 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 57 innings while holding opponents to a .175 average. This follows a dominant minor league season in 2019 when he fanned 183 batters in 123.2 innings. Ryan has recorded high strikeout totals, relying heavily on a fastball that comes from a unique angle and spin more than big-time velocity (he sits 90 to 94). In fact, he threw it more than 70% of the time back in 2019. A cutter/slider would be his No. 2 offering, while he's mixed in a slow curveball and changeup. The lack of a clear wipeout No. 2 pitch and the likelihood that his fastball-heavy approach won't work quite as well at the major league level has some believing he ends up more as a multi-inning relief weapon than a starter. Still, I think his deception and control can play in the big leagues, and I like his chances to be a mid-level starter.
Strotman was a fourth-round pick in 2017 out of St. Mary's, but after a strong start to his pro career, he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018. He returned late in 2019, but 2021 marks his first full season of action since 2017. He's been starting in Triple-A and has a 3.39 ERA over 58.1 innings, with 62 strikeouts and 33 walks. Strotman has a high-spin fastball and cutter. He was already on Tampa Bay's 40-man roster, so Cruz essentially takes his 40-man spot. The control has been shaky with 5.1 walks per nine, but like Ryan, there is a starter potential here, and the worst-case scenario for both would seem to be a valuable bullpen arm. If one of the two makes it as a future starter, that's a good return. I like this trade for both sides, admitting that I'm probably higher on Ryan than some others.