Rays Officially Get Nelson Cruz from Twins
Nelson Cruz and Minor League pitcher
Calvin Faucher on Thursday, sending Minor League right-handers
Joe Ryan and
Drew Strotman to Minnesota in return.
Both pitchers headed to Minnesota are currently at Triple-A, with Ryan ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 10 prospect in Tampa Bay's system and Strotman ranked 17th.
Faucher, a 25-year-old righty at Double-A, was not ranked among the Twins' top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline.
A seven-time All-Star, the 41-year-old Cruz has shown no signs of slowing down this season as Minnesota's designated hitter, slashing .294/.370/.537 in 85 games entering Thursday.
The Twins are not sending any money to the Rays in the Cruz deal, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. Tampa Bay will assume the roughly $5 million that Cruz is owed for the remainder of the season.