Nelson Cruz is out of the AL Central ... but it won't help the White Sox

Nelson Cruz

The Minnesota Twins have officially given up on the 2021 season. The White Sox won only two of four games against Minnesota this week at Guaranteed Rate Field, but nevertheless, the South Siders are 12-4 against the Twins this season.

And the Sox (58-38) are 17 games ahead of Minnesota (41-55), which is mired in fourth place in the AL Central.

The Twins' front office obviously recognizes its over for them, and on Thursday, Minnesota traded well-respected designated hitter Nelson Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays for pitching prospects Joe Ryan, Drew Strotman and Calvin Faucher.

Cruz, 41, continues to defy Father Time. He appeared in his seventh All-Star game earlier this month, and in 85 games with Minnesota this season, he batted .294/.370/.537 with 19 homers and 50 RBIs.

He also has tormented the Sox throughout his three years with the Twins. This season has been no exception. In 15 games against Chicago, Cruz has posted a .907 OPS with four home runs.

So, good riddance, right? Get him out of the AL Central, no?

Well, not so fast. The Sox only have three games left with the Twins, and they also have three games remaining with the Rays. So, either way, they will see Cruz three more times in the regular season.

Not to mention, Tampa Bay is a likely playoff team. The Rays entered Thursday's play with a 57-39 record, one game back of the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. The Red Sox were tied with the White Sox for the best record in the AL, in fact.

There are a lot of different ways in which the Sox could end up facing the Rays in the ALDS, or the ALCS, if both teams are fortunate enough to win a playoff round. Thus, I can't celebrate Cruz's departure from the AL Central too much. 

It will be a happy day for Sox fans when Cruz retires from baseball.