Minnesota Twins: Top 3 Moves the Twins made in 2021

Minnesota Twins Best Move No. 2: Receiving Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman

There seems to be a trend here with the best moves that the Twins made in 2021. Nelson Cruz was one of the recent bright spots in recent Minnesota Twins history hitting 76 home runs, batting .304 and posting his fourth highest WAR (4.3) in 2019.

However, Nelson Cruz was face to face with the one thing that he couldn’t stop and that is old age. Cruz was 40 years old this past season and his time in the MLB is sadly coming to an end soon. The Twins decided they had to capitalize before it was too late.

They sent Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays along with Calvin Faucher and in return received Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. Trading less than a year’s worth of a 40 year old DH for a 25 year old who is going to be inserted into the rotation for years to come and a 25 year old who made the jump from High A to Triple A from 2019-2021 seems like a no-brainer.

Also, taking a young prospect from the Rays is always a good thing because if he was in their system at one point, odds are he’s pretty talented, and from what what both players did after the trade, the Twins have to feel quite comfortable.