MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Despite all the speculation that surrounded José Berríos this month, with the Minnesota Twins nowhere near contention and ready to reload for the future, the right-hander wasn’t ready to accept he could be traded. The news that he was heading to Toronto on Friday brought him and his wife to tears. Then came the really hard part, having to break the news to their three children that he was joining the Blue Jays in a deadline-day deal that sent two highly rated minor leaguers to the Twins. “I know that it will be hard because this year, they are bigger. They are growing up. They know more about life and also some people,” Berríos said, predicting the greatest difficulty for 7-year-old daughter Valentina. Soon-to-be-5-year-old Sebastian and 3-year-old Diego had grown fond of Minneapolis and their friends there, too. Berríos, drafted 32nd overall by the Twins in 2012, debuted with Minnesota in 2015. Though Puerto Rico was their home, he and his wife, Jannieliz, became strongly... [More]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Despite all the speculation that surrounded José Berríos this month, with the Minnesota Twins nowhere near contention and ready to reload for the future, the right-hander wasn't ready to accept he could be traded. The news that he was heading to Toronto on Friday brought him and his wife to tears. Then came the really hard part, having to break the news to their three children that he was joining the Blue Jays in a deadline-day deal that sent two highly rated minor leaguers to the Twins. “I know that it will be hard because this year, they are bigger. They are growing up. They know more about life and also some people,” Berríos said, predicting the greatest difficulty for 7-year-old daughter Valentina. Soon-to-be-5-year-old Sebastian and 3-year-old Diego had grown fond of Minneapolis and their friends there, too. Berríos, drafted 32nd overall by the Twins in 2012, debuted with Minnesota in 2015. Though Puerto Rico was their home, he and his wife, Jannieliz, became strongly... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors today: ___ NEW HOME Nelson Cruz is headed to a contender in the biggest deal yet ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. The defending AL champion Rays acquired Cruz, one of baseball’s most proven sluggers, in a four-player trade with Minnesota on Thursday night. Tampa Bay, in a tight race with Boston atop the AL East, received Cruz and minor leaguer Calvin Faucher from the struggling Twins in exchange for minor league right-handers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. The 41-year-old Cruz has 436 career homers and 1,202 RBIs. He’ll bring some needed pop to Tampa Bay’s lineup and should help the Rays against left-handers. They’re hitting .226 versus lefties. The seven-time All-Star also has plenty of playoff experience with 17 homers and 37 RBIs in 46 postseason games. He’s batting .294 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs this season. “People joke about how he’s ageless, and it really does feel that way,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said.... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nelson Cruz packed up his big bat and joined a contender. The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Cruz, one of baseball's most proven sluggers, in a four-player trade with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. Cruz was well aware of the likelihood he'd be dealt this month, with the disappointing Twins well out of contention. Nonetheless he told reporters the news still felt “shocking” and “heartbreaking” to him after becoming fond of the organization over his 2 1/2 seasons in Minnesota. “It’s a tough one. I guess it’s a new chapter, and I will embrace it the way I embrace everything in my life — to go help the Tampa Bay Rays to win a championship,” Cruz said. Moments before opening a four-game series at Cleveland, the Rays, who entered the night one game behind first-place Boston in the AL East, announced they got Cruz and minor leaguer Calvin Faucher from Minnesota in exchange for minor league right-handers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. The 41-year-old Cruz has 436 career homers and... [More]

A look at what’s happening around the majors Friday: ___ NEW HOME Nelson Cruz is headed to a contender in the biggest deal yet ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. The defending AL champion Rays acquired Cruz, one of baseball’s most proven sluggers, in a four-player trade with Minnesota on Thursday night. Tampa Bay, in a tight race with Boston atop the AL East, received Cruz and minor leaguer Calvin Faucher from the struggling Twins (41-55) in exchange for minor league right-handers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. The 41-year-old Cruz has 436 career homers and 1,202 RBIs. He’ll bring some needed pop to Tampa Bay’s lineup and should help the Rays against left-handers. They’re hitting .226 versus lefties. The seven-time All-Star also has plenty of playoff experience with 17 homers and 37 RBIs in 46 postseason games. He’s batting .294 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs this season. “People joke about how he’s ageless, and it really does feel that way,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — Nelson Cruz packed up his big bat and joined a contender. The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Cruz, one of baseball's most proven sluggers, in a four-player trade with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. Cruz was well aware of the likelihood he'd be dealt this month, with the disappointing Twins well out of contention. Nonetheless he told reporters the news still felt “shocking” and “heartbreaking” to him after becoming fond of the organization over his 2 1/2 seasons in Minnesota. “It’s a tough one. I guess it’s a new chapter, and I will embrace it the way I embrace everything in my life to go help the Tampa Bay Rays to win a championship,” Cruz said. Moments before opening a four-game series at Cleveland, the Rays, who entered the night just one game behind first-place Boston in the AL East, announced they got Cruz and minor leaguer Calvin Faucher from Minnesota in exchange for minor league right-handers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. The 41-year-old Cruz has 436 career homers... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays added a big bat for the remainder of the season, acquiring slugger Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. Moments before opening a four-game series at Cleveland, the Rays, who entered Thursday one game behind first-place Boston in the AL East, announced they got Cruz and minor leaguer Calvin Faucher from Minnesota in exchange for right-handers Joe Ryan and Drew Strotman. The 41-year-old Cruz has 436 career homers. He'll bring some pop to Tampa Bay's lineup and should help the Rays against left-handers. They entered the series batting .226 versus lefties. The designated hitter is batting .294 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs this season. With a week until the trade deadline and no shot at the postseason, the Twins figured they'd get something for Cruz to begin building toward 2021. Minnesota entered Thursday at 41-55. A 17-year veteran, Cruz signed a one-year, $13 million deal with Minnesota in February. He spent nearly three seasons with the Twins after four in Seattle. Cruz has also played with Baltimore and Texas. Cruz hit at least 37 homers per season from 2014-19. He belted a career-high 44 homers for the Mariners in 2015. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports