Could A’s get Nelson Cruz-type?
The Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins made the first big trade market splash with an exchange that sent 41-year-old slugger Nelson Cruz to Tampa for two touted pitching prospects. Though the Oakland A’s weren’t likely to swing a trade for Cruz, it’s a blow to see a potential Wild Card opponent with a similarly low payroll add considerable power to their roster.
Though the offense helps buoy the team to a plus-42 run differential, it’s clear consistency from the A’s pitching staff and rotation in particular have kept the team afloat through a tough stretch that dates back before the All-star break. The A’s could have used a hitter like Cruz. At age 41, he was batting .294 with a .907 OPS as the Minnesota Twins’ designated hitter with 19 home runs.
Those numbers would put Cruz as the batting average leader with the second most home runs and secondhighest OPS to All-star Matt Olson. With the trade deadline a week away, the A’s could have been the jolt needed to spark a stagnant A’s offense that’s seen more major subtractions — think, Marcus Semien’s signing with the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency — than major additions.
Talent is carrying the team to postseason’s door for a fourth straight year, but it’s become clear that adding some difference makers to the roster at the deadline could help Oakland clear the hurdle between an early exit and long run. The A’s could have used a Nelson Cruz — and the idea was floated among front office decision-makers — but they weren’t going to get a Nelson Cruz because it could have cost them some valuable prospects in a farm system that analysts regard as one of the worst in baseball.
The Twins got in return righthanded pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman from Tampa, two of their top-20 prospects pitching in the rotation for their Triple-a Durham affiliate. Ryan, 25, is Tampa’s No. 10 prospect. Strotman, 24, is a St. Mary’s College alum who was reportedly a favorite in the Tampa organization. Their 17th-ranked prospect.