Former Twins righty reliever Jorge Alcalá signs minor league deal with Toronto Blue Jays
Former Twins right-handed reliever Jorge Alcalá and the Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp in spring training, according to 7News Boston WHDH's Ari Alexander.
Blue Jays are Alcalá's third organization he has joined since leaving the Twins
The Twins traded Alcalá to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor-league utilityman Andy Lugo on June 11 after Alcalá began the season with an awful 8.88 ERA over 24 1/3 innings. Alcalá's fall-off was mostly unexpected, as he sported a 3.24 ERA with 58 strikeouts over 58 1/3 innings the season prior.
Alcalá had a short tenure with Boston, as the Red Sox designated him for assignment on Aug. 5 after he posted a 3.31 ERA with 18 strikeouts and eight walks in 16 1/3 innings for the historic franchise. Two days later, the St. Louis Cardinals claimed Alcalá off waivers.
In 15 appearances for the Cardinals, Alcalá managed a 5.02 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks over 14 1/3 innings. St. Louis' front office decided it had seen enough of the former Twins righty, announcing the decision to designate him for assignment last month.
Alcalá's main issue last season was his inability to limit free passes; his 11.7% walk rate ranked in the seventh percentile. His ground-ball rate (34.5%) was also poor, ranking in the 14th percentile. And while his hard-hit rate (37.6%) ranked in the 71st percentile, his barrel rate (10.9%) ranked in the lowly 10th percentile.
Alcalá joins a Blue Jays team that lost the 2025 World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in heartbreaking fashion, losing Game 7 5-4 in extra innings after being two outs away from victory in the ninth inning. Alcalá will have to prove he is still an MLB-caliber pitcher during spring training if he wants to make Toronto's Opening Day roster. If he makes it back to the big leagues with the Blue Jays, he'll join fellow former Twin Louis Varland in the bullpen.