Nelson Cruz provided the Twins with exceptional value in his 258 games with the team, serving as the catalyst for back-to-back AL Central championship teams and being everything the Twins could have asked for on and off the field.
And when it was time to trade Cruz, with Year 3 of his tenure with the Twins dissolving in a sea of losses, he continued to provide that same exceptional value.
Minnesota found a motivated buyer in Tampa Bay, a team that quite frankly gave up far more for Cruz than I might have imagined. The Rays trail the Red Sox by just one game in the AL East and have an 81.5% chance to make the postseason, per FanGraphs.
Their offense has been solid, ranking seventh in the majors with 474 runs scored. But their designated hitters have just a .702 OPS, No. 13 out of 15 American League teams. Enter Cruz, whose .907 OPS should bring another jolt to that lineup.
With a player like Cruz, who is surely productive but has a more limited market as a DH than, say, a relief pitcher, you don't wait for all the offers to come in. If you find one you like, you take it.
And there's a lot to like about the two pitchers the Twins got from the Rays, as I talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.
If you don't see the podcast player, tap here to listen.
Righthanders Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman will both be 25 by the end of this season, and both have had nice seasons at Class AAA in what has been, outside of 13 innings at Class AA for Ryan in 2019, their first work above Class A.