MLB Weekly Digest July 26th Edition: Rays Acquire Slugger Nelson Cruz

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The last week in MLB was about a team in the American League making a trade to add power to their lineup, a club in the National League adds starting rotation depth with a transaction, an outfielder is placed on the injured list.

Finally, a franchise makes a drastic change for next season and beyond.

Tampa Bay Rays Acquire Slugger Nelson Cruz in Four-Player Deal from Minnesota Twins

The Tampa Bay Rays significantly upgraded their lineup several days ago as they acquired slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins.

In addition to Cruz, they also added right-handed pitcher Calvin Faucher from the Twins in exchange for right-handed pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman, per a team announcement.

#MNTwins complete trade with Tampa Bay Rays.

Club acquires right-handed minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman, in exchange for designated hitter Nelson Cruz and right-handed minor league pitcher Calvin Faucher.

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 22, 2021

The Twins did not send any money in the deal.

The Rays will be responsible for about $5 million owed to Cruz for the rest of the 2021 season, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Twins are not sending any money to the Rays in the Cruz deal, per source. Tampa Bay will assume roughly $5 million that Cruz is owed for the remainder of the season.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 22, 2021

Cruz was having a fantastic 2021 season for the Twins as he posted a .294 batting average and .907 OPS in 85 games with 13 doubles, 19 home runs, and 50 RBIs.

He was selected as an All-Star earlier this month for the seventh time in his career.

Cruz wasted no time making an impact as he crushed a home run in his first game with the Rays days ago.

Nelson Cruz homers in his Rays debut 🔥🔥 @BRWalkoff⁰⁰(via @RaysBaseball)pic.twitter.com/oqk2LwusOp

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 24, 2021

The addition of Cruz will be a significant boost to the Rays’ lineup as the slugger has prodigious power.

The Rays acquiring Cruz was a surprise, but it was a smart move by the team to add someone with a proven track record of performing.

The deal is also great for the Twins as they receive two right-handed pitchers who could be with the club soon, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.

Snap verdict on the Nelson Cruz trade: The Rays get the single best bat on the market and someone with an A+ clubhouse reputation. But the Twins did very well, too, in getting Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman, two hard-throwing right-handers who are close to big-league-ready.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 22, 2021

New York Mets Acquire Starting Pitcher Rich Hill from Tampa Bay Rays

The New York Mets have added depth to their starting rotation by acquiring starting pitcher Rich Hill from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for right-hander Tommy Hunter and catcher Matt Dyer, per a team announcement.

We’ve acquired left-handed pitcher Rich Hill from Tampa Bay in exchange for right-handed pitcher Tommy Hunter and minor league catcher Matt Dyer. https://t.co/P24Fo2HoYd

— New York Mets (@Mets) July 23, 2021

Hill was having a solid 2021 campaign for the Rays as he posted a 3.87 ERA in 95 1 /3 innings pitched (19 starts) with 91 strikeouts, 36 walks issued, 14 home runs yielded, a 102 ERA+, 4.55 FIP, and 1.16 WHIP.

The veteran pitcher will be a boost to a Mets’ rotation that is dealing with injuries.

Mets starting pitchers Jacob deGrom, Carlos Carrasco, Noah Syndergaard, David Peterson, and Joey Lucchesi have injuries.

Another positive about the Mets adding Hill is he is a pitcher who has postseason experience.

Cincinnati Reds Place Outfielder Nick Castellanos on Injured List with Wrist Injury

The Cincinnati Reds have placed outfielder Nick Castellanos on the injured list with a right wrist injury, per a team announcement.

The #Reds today made the following transactions: pic.twitter.com/l1Q1vsEOGp

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 23, 2021

Castellanos was removed from a game on July 16 after he was hit in the hand/wrist area by Adrian Houser of the Milwaukee Brewers.

The outfielder said he was diagnosed with a microfracture in his right wrist after having a CT scan last week, per Chris Rose of Jomboy Media.

Nick Castellanos gives Chris Rose an update on his injury

Said he has a micro fracture in his wrist and is feeling about 50% but can't swing a bathttps://t.co/qkzvy15tES pic.twitter.com/JF9kY7Mjyq

— Chris Rose Sports (@ChrisRoseSports) July 22, 2021

The loss of Castellanos is monumental for the Reds as he has been one of the better players in the National League this year.

Castellanos has posted a .965 OPS in 86 games with 29 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs, 59 RBIs, and leads the NL with a .329 batting average.

Cleveland Renames Baseball Team to Guardians After 2021 Season

The Cleveland baseball team will be called the Guardians after the 2021 season, per a team announcement.

https://twitter.com/Indians/status/1418565355472101378?s=20

The franchise will still use Indians until the end of the 2021 campaign and be known as the Guardians afterward.

Introducing the Cleveland Guardians!

The name will go into effect after the 2021 season. pic.twitter.com/ggCFyIRD2y

— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2021

The new name is accompanied by new logos, which the team made available on their website.

The MLB team decided to stop using Indians as their team name last December after being criticized for its offensiveness toward Native Americans.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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