Five Years Later: Joe Ryan, Nelson Cruz, and the Trade That Keeps Getting Better

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

Five years ago this month, the Minnesota Twins made one of the most significant trades in franchise history. At the time, it felt like an emotional farewell. Looking back now, it serves as a reminder that the best trades aren't always judged by what a team gives up, because they're defined by the opportunity they create.

The Twins did lose Nelson Cruz at the 2021 MLB trade deadline, but in the process, they unknowingly acquired the pitcher who would become the face of their rotation for the better part of the decade. That type of return is exceedingly rare.

Cruz had become much more than a designated hitter during his two and a half seasons in Minnesota. He was the heartbeat of the clubhouse and the centerpiece of the 2019 "Bomba Squad," helping the Twins shatter the MLB single-season home run record while restoring excitement to Target Field. He returned for the shortened 2020 season and entered 2021 hoping to lead one more postseason run with a veteran core that still believed it could contend.

Instead, everything unraveled. Minnesota stumbled through injuries, underperformance, and inconsistency, eventually finishing 73-89 and in last place in the American League Central. Once it became clear the season couldn't be salvaged, the Twins made the difficult but necessary decision to move one of the most beloved players in the franchise’s recent history. They sent Cruz and minor-league pitcher Calvin Faucher to Tampa Bay. In return came two pitching prospects: Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. At the time, it looked like a sensible baseball trade. Five years later, it looks like a franchise-altering steal.

A Trade Built on Opportunity

The Rays have long been among baseball's most aggressive organizations at identifying veterans who can push a contender over the top. Cruz had been on Tampa Bay's radar for years.

When the Rays finally acquired him in July 2021, they got exactly what they expected. The 41-year-old slugger hit 13 home runs with 36 RBI over 55 games, helping Tampa Bay capture another AL East title  For the Rays, the trade accomplished its goal.

For the Twins, however, it became something much larger. They out-Raysed the Rays, by taking a player Tampa wasn’t willing to give a chance to and helping him reach an All-Star ceiling.

Tampa Bay had pitching. Minnesota had an opportunity. Ryan wasn't an unknown prospect when the trade happened. He had dominated during his first full professional season in 2019, posting a 1.96 ERA (while striking out 183 hitters in 123 2/3 innings) across three levels. Yet, despite the production, his path to the majors remained cloudy.

Rather than preparing for a debut in 2021, Ryan represented Team USA in Olympic qualifying before helping the Americans win a silver medal in Tokyo. While that was an incredible personal accomplishment, it also reinforced where he stood in Tampa Bay's organizational depth chart.

The Rays could afford to wait. The Twins couldn't. Minnesota was entering a transition period and needed pitching immediately. Ryan returned from Japan, made only two Triple-A starts in the Twins organization, and was promoted to the majors.

Almost instantly, it looked like the Twins had found something special. In just his second career start, Ryan carried a perfect game into the seventh inning against Cleveland. Two starts later, he struck out 11 Cubs hitters at Wrigley Field. The flashes weren't accidental. They were the beginning.

What’s Changed With Ryan?

The pitcher the Twins acquired isn't the one they have today. One reason the trade has aged so well is Ryan's willingness to reinvent himself. When he debuted in 2021, he leaned almost exclusively on his four-seam fastball, throwing it roughly two-thirds of the time. That approach worked early, but Ryan understood that sustaining success required constant evolution.

Following the 2022 season, he traveled to Driveline Baseball to develop a splitter and refine his pitch mix. Another offseason brought him back to Driveline and additional work on a sinker. More recently, his curveball has become a significantly larger part of his arsenal.

Every offseason has brought another adjustment. Every season has made him better. Rather than relying solely on the fastball that carried him through the mihnors, Ryan has become one of baseball's most complete and adaptable pitchers.

Modern baseball often celebrates radar-gun readings. Ryan has become one of the best examples that there is another path to dominance. His four-seam fastball typically sits between 93 and 94 mph—not overpowering by today's standards—but it's one of the most effective pitches in baseball because of how it plays. Ryan releases the ball from one of the lowest heights among starting pitchers, while still generating exceptional riding life through the top of the strike zone. Hitters see a release point unlike almost anyone else, then watch the ball seemingly rise above their barrels.

The pitch consistently misses bats despite lacking elite velocity. That's why it has graded among baseball's most valuable fastballs over the last several seasons. It's a reminder that movement, deception, command, and sequencing still matter. Ryan has mastered all four.

Looking Back with a New Perspective

The Nelson Cruz trade will always carry mixed emotions because of what Cruz meant to the organization. He was the foremost symbol of one of the most entertaining eras in recent Twins history and left Minnesota as one of the most respected players to ever wear the uniform.

But five years later, the trade has become a reminder that difficult decisions often define successful organizations. The Twins honored a veteran who deserved a chance to compete for a championship while acquiring a young pitcher whose talent had yet to be fully realized.

Both organizations accomplished what they set out to do. Only one, however, found the foundation of its rotation for years to come. Five years later, the trade is remembered less as the end of the Bomba Squad and more as the beginning of the Joe Ryan era.

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What stands out about this trade? What were your thoughts about the trade when it happened? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[jmlease1]

No mixed emotions from me: this was one of the best trades in Twins history. I liked it from the jump.

I'm going to be hugely bummed if they trade Joe Ryan away, either at the deadline or in the off-season: I love him as a pitcher. He works quickly, he's got an interesting mix, he throws a little different, and he's also not afraid to show a little of himself out there on the field. Makes for a fun and exciting player to watch, and when he gets rolling, he really mows them down.

The secondary pitches have really improved with him, but he still works off that fastball. It's what Ron Luciano used to call a "positive" fastball: everyone is positive they can hit it. And yet...

[LambchoP]

I hope we keep Ryan. High end pitching is the best asset a team can have. Maybe we can get the next Joe Ryan when we trade Jeffers at the deadline.

[rdehring]

Great article, Cody.  And what a great player Ryan has become.  

Some credit must go to the guys who made the trade, more credit to the Twins staff, yet most of the credit must go to this young man who has worked his butt off at being better.

I really don't see the Twins trading him next week.  What would be a huge move for the Twins would be extending him over the next couple months.  What a way to give Twins fans some encouragement that things are headed in the right direction. 

[Linus]

Joe deserves major credit for the improvements that he has made. When we got him he had the fastball and pretty much nothing else. He is now a well rounded pitcher. 

[Dman]

Baseball is crazy hard to predict.  IIRC there were a lot of experts that thought Ryan might end up a bullpen arm despite the good minor league numbers.  I think he threw his fastball 70 or 80% of the time and there was no precedent for a starter to succeed relying on one pitch so heavily.  

It's interesting to me now that some experts thought Strotman had better starter traits and was the more likely arm to be a starter and if not then a solid bet to be a MLB reliever.  Strotman never even made it to the majors.

So the Rays likely thought they were giving the Twins two good to great bullpen arms with a chance to be a 5th starter.  Seems reasonable in a trade for a big bat, but predicting what players might become isn't that easy and Ryan turned into an All Star starter.  If the Rays knew what he would become they never would have traded him.

Ryan does deserve a lot of credit for developing his breaking balls and being less predictable.  He was fairly homer prone there for a while.  He put in the work and now he will want to get paid.  It is a trade that turned out really well for the Twins, but I don't think anyone saw just how good it would be at the time.

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Bad timing ahead of Ryan's start today vs. Cleveland, but the trade has been a huge win for the Twins. Nelson Cruz and Faucher's combined WAR with the Rays was -0.5. Joe Ryan with the Twins has been 14.0

[ashbury]

Dear Twins Daily Article Authors,

Please stop jinxing our players.

Sincerely,

Everyone