The Rays acquire Nelson Cruz from the Twins for two minor league pitchers:

The Twins received minor league pitchers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman in exchange for Cruz and minor league pitcher Calvin Faucher.

ESPN.com

Cruz owns a career .272/.345/.536 slash line at Tropicana Field. Those are very close to his overall career averages. Rays designated hitters own a .219/.305/.389 slash line, so Cruz should be a huge improvement. Faucher looks like someone the Rays won’t be using soon.

On the Twins side, Ryan is hardly a prospect at seasonal age 25, but he owns a very high K rate and a low walk rate. He should be able to make the MLB team soon. Strotman is 24 with control problems, but a good minor league ERA nonetheless. He’s allowed just six home runs in 179 minor league innings.

It’s a good short-term trade for the Rays. Their probability of making the playoffs went up today.