Jorge Alcala
When the Twins decided to not make any external moves to help the bullpen last spring, part of the rationale was that they had guys coming back who would fill the gap.
If that sounds familiar -- or like a pattern -- it's because that's the same strategy used at the trade deadline.
One of the guys the Twins had circled for potential relief to the bullpen issue was Jorge Alcala. He had a bit of a breakout year in 2021, appearing in 59 games and posting a 3.92 ERA while seemingly auditioning for the closer role. He wasn't lights out, but he seemed to show enough flash and promise that he was worth taking a gamble on being a potential key member of the bullpen.
That didn't happen.
Alcala appeared in 11 games this season and promptly fell into a crater. His ERA skyrocketed to 6.23 and his strikeout rate plummeted to 1.60. He was coming off an injury that wiped out his 2022 campaign, but the gamble on him didn't pay off. He's only due $1M next season, but both his salary and his spot on the 40-man roster is likely best served being given to someone else.
One of the biggest questions the Twins need to answer this winter is how to improve the bullpen, and Alcala has already been edged out of that conversation. The next logical step is to move on from him entirely.