Latest news with #JorgeAlcala
New York Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Twins trade deadline primer: How team's sale could impact front office's ability to function
With the July 31 trade deadline fewer than seven weeks away, let's take a look at how the Twins could attempt to restock their roster for the stretch run as the market and trade rumors start to heat up. Here are three early Twins storylines to watch as the deadline nears. Earlier this year, there was hope that a winning bidder to purchase the franchise would be picked by Opening Day. Then the Chicago White Sox reached out to minority owner Justin Ishbia and convinced him to increase his stake in that franchise — with an eventual path to owning a majority share of the club — rather than buy the Twins. Advertisement Though there are recent indications that the club is attempting to regroup and attract new potential buyers, the sales process appears to have temporarily stalled out. The guess here is that potential suitors are continuing to balk at ownership's $1.7 billion asking price, with a work stoppage looming after the 2026 season and concerns about the team's broadcast revenue situation. What this uncertainty means for the ability of the Twins front office to add salary at the deadline — or, far less likely, reduce it — remains to be seen. At this point, it's safe to assume the Pohlad family will remain in charge of the club through the end of July and that a sale won't be finalized until after the deadline unless someone ponies up rapidly. The team did free itself of approximately $800,000 in salary on Wednesday when it traded talented-yet-inconsistent reliever Jorge Alcala to the Boston Red Sox. But beyond that, an unclear picture about who controls the team's purse strings in the future is easily the biggest question to be answered before August. Though it seems obvious the Twins should be adding, the math isn't simple. It's almost certain that the Twins, who are 36-32 despite losing four of their last five series, will make a push for the playoffs. Even though they spent only $10.5 million on free agents this offseason, the Twins' front office made it clear last offseason that they want to win. Otherwise, they wouldn't have retained a long list of valuable arbitration-eligible players whose salaries are increasing, like Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Joe Ryan and others. At minimum, the Twins would have tried to dump the salaries of Chris Paddack and Christian Vázquez before the season. The Twins' 13-game winning streak in May also provides hope they're capable of reaching the postseason. But injuries have thrown a wrinkle into the picture. In a little more than a week, the Twins lost starting pitchers Pablo López and Zebby Matthews to lengthy shoulder injuries, which clearly weakens one of the team's strengths. Advertisement How the Twins perform against an upcoming schedule featuring Houston, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Seattle and Detroit, four of which are above .500, could determine their direction in late July. If the Twins' collection of starting pitcher injuries leads to a long dry spell, who knows how the front office will respond? More than likely, the Twins will continue to push forward, but their play over the next six weeks is worth watching. Nine days ago, the Twins felt pretty good about their starting pitching depth. Now, adding stability to the rotation seems like a good idea. Not only are the Twins without López and Matthews for the foreseeable future, Bailey Ober has been working with reduced velocity and command in his past three starts. Suddenly, a Twins starting rotation that was fifth in ERA on June 4 is looking to plug holes in a leaky boat. The problem is that the price for starting pitching is often high at the deadline. A year ago, the Twins found the asking prices for Erick Fedde and Yusei Kikuchi to be absurdly high. For lower-revenue teams that make their living by producing and depending on cheap talent, trading several young players away for pitching doesn't always make sense. Still, this Twins team has shown plenty of signs it's worth investing in. The bullpen is strong and there's enough position talent in place to justify a win-now attitude. If those factors weren't enough, watching another Twins collapse predicated on pitching injuries might send the fan base over the edge. Another item on the list could include another lefty reliever. The Twins claimed Joey Wentz on Wednesday, hoping he could be the answer. If Wentz doesn't deliver, the Twins could pursue another lefty reliever to complement Danny Coulombe. An additional possibility is acquiring a left-handed bat capable of playing in the corner outfield or at first base. Adding a better outfield defender with left-handed pop would allow the Twins to occasionally use either Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner at designated hitter, which keeps Willi Castro flexible to play on the infield. No matter which direction they head, the Twins' decision-makers should keep in mind the negative or indifferent reactions of multiple key players last July when the team only added reliever Trevor Richards in a minor trade. (Photo by Brad Rempel / Getty Images)
CBS News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Red Sox acquire reliever Jorge Alcala from Twins to help bolster bullpen
The Red Sox acquired reliever Jorge Alcala from the Minnesota Twins Wednesday night in hopes the hard-throwing righty can help bolster the Boston bullpen. The 29-year-old Alcala is a seven-year MLB veteran who has spent his entire career with Minnesota. He turned in a solid 2024 season when he had a 3.24 ERA, held opponents to a .190 batting average, and struck out 58 over 58.1 innings. But he's struggled with his command this season, and currently owns an 8.88 ERA while opponents are batting .302 against the reliever. The Twins decided to move on from Alcala after he allowed nine runs over two innings in his last two relief appearances. He surrendered six runs (five earned) off five hits (including a homer) over 1.2 innings in a 16-4 loss to the Rangers on July 10, which was Alcala's final appearance for Minnesota. For his career, Alcala owns a 4.32 ERA with 193 strikeouts over 187.2 innings. All 166 of his appearances have come out of the bullpen. Alcala's go-to pitch is his fastball, which he throws 44 percent of the time and averages 97.1 mph on the radar gun. Opponents are hitting just .205 off that pitch this season, according to Baseball Savant. He's also had success with his curveball, holding opponents to a .143 average with the pitch, but he's only thrown the pitch at a 15.1 percent clip this season. Alcala has run into issues with his slider though. He's thrown it 21.8 percent of the time this season, with opponents hitting .389 off the pitch. Opponents hit just .204 off his slider last season, so the Red Sox are hoping a change of scenery will get him back to his 2024 form and give Alex Cora another arm to help an already overworked bullpen. Red Sox relievers have already tossed 266.1 innings this season, which is the fifth-most in the Majors. Righty Greg Weissert has already made 33 appearances, tied for the second-most in baseball, while Brennan Bernardino is tied for 16th with 31 turns out of the Red Sox bullpen. Garrett Whitlock's 33.2 innings are tied for the eighth-most in baseball. Boston sent infielder/outfielder Andy Lugo to the Twins in return for Alcala. Lugo signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2021, and played in 44 games for High-A Greenville this season. Right-handed pitcher Brian Van Belle was designated for assignment to make room for Alcala on Boston's 40-man roster.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox Announce Trade With Twins After Marcelo Mayer News
Red Sox Announce Trade With Twins After Marcelo Mayer News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Boston Red Sox took down the Rays by a score of 4-3 on Wednesday, to give Roman Anthony a win in his first big league series after an embarrassing 10-8 loss in extra innings Monday. Advertisement Fueled by former top prospect Marcelo Mayer's first multi-HR night, the Sox were able to win with Walker Buehler throwing seven innings of three-run ball. After the game, the Red Sox announced an intriguing trade with the Minnesota Twins for a former standout reliever. Sep 8, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jorge Alcala (66) pitches during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The Sox acquired reliever Jorge Alcala from the Twins in exchange for minor league third baseman Andy Lugo. Alcala, 29, has played in 166 games with the Twins since 2019, and has struggled to begin 2025. He has pitched to a monumental 8.88 ERA, which is a far-cry from his 2024 season which saw him pitch in 54 games to a 3.24 ERA. The Sox have had a bullpen problem for quite some time now, and Monday's loss to Tampa was caused largely by a bullpen collapse, with righty reliever Zack Kelly giving up two runs in the 11th to put the Sox down for good. Advertisement The trade for Alcala gives the Red Sox another high-octane righty in the pen to lighten the load on guys like Kelly, who has a 6.61 ERA this season. In Lugo, the Twins get a power bat with some speed to him - Lugo stole 25 bases in 2024 along with a .271/.346/.362 slash line. Related: Red Sox Make Surprising Marcelo Mayer Announcement Before Yankees Game Related: Red Sox Pitcher's Wild Behavior Caught on Camera During Rays Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Twins trade reliever Alcala to Red Sox for minor leaguer
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins dealt struggling reliever Jorge Alcala to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for minor leaguer Andy Lugo. The 29-year-old Alcala (0-2) has an 8.88 ERA in 22 appearances for the Twins this year. His final outing with Minnesota came Tuesday when he gave up five runs — four earned — in a 16-4 loss to Texas.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Twins trade reliever Alcala to Red Sox for minor leaguer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins dealt struggling reliever Jorge Alcala to the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for minor leaguer Andy Lugo. The 29-year-old Alcala (0-2) has an 8.88 ERA in 22 appearances for the Twins this year. His final outing with Minnesota came Tuesday when he gave up five runs — four earned — in a 16-4 loss to Texas. Alcala debuted with the Twins in 2019 and pitched in a career-high 59 games in 2021. After finishing the 2024 season with a 3.24 ERA in 54 relief appearances, he had five games this season in which he allowed at least three runs out of the bullpen. Lugo, 21, was batting .265 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 44 games for High-A Greenville. He has played both the infield and outfield during his minor league tenure but has spent most of the 2025 season in the infield. He made 21 starts at first base and 16 at third base. To make room for Alcala on its 40-man roster, Boston designated right-handed pitcher Brian Van Belle for assignment. Van Belle had not yet appeared in a major league game for the Red Sox this season after he was selected to the active roster on June 9. Left-hander Joey Wentz will take Alcala's spot on Minnesota's 26-man roster. The Twins claimed Wentz off waivers from Pittsburgh on Wednesday. ___ AP MLB:
