Tampa Bay Rays acquire DH Nelson Cruz

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty ImagesThe Tampa Bay Rays have made a rare trade deadline splash, acquiring 41-year old Designated Hitter Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins.

Typically trades for position players mid-season do not net strong returns, but the Rays are sending two Triple-A starting pitchers to get the deal done, including Olympics bound Joe Ryan and a favorite of the R&D department in Drew Strotman.

In desperate need of a quality right handed bat, the Rays could have gone in many directions. With baseball’s best farm system, all the chips could have been pushed in for one of baseball’s top flight hitters like Jose Ramirez. The Rays also could have thrown their…