Twins send Jorge Alcala to the Red Sox

Jorge Alcala has really good stuff, and has previously been a well regarded lynchpin in the back end of the Twins bull pen. Also, every major collapse in recent memory seems to have one thing in common: Alcala. It was probably time to move on.

It wasn't just a "vibes" thing either. Alcala has the highest ERA of pitchers with as many innings as he has pitched, and he has been used quite frequently. The Twins picked up Joey Wentz off the waiver wire today, and looking at the roster, particularly the bullpen, the writing was on the wall for Alcala.

For me, the writing was a little blurry, however. I assumed Alcala would be designated for assignment and placed on waivers. There is enough ability that I thought he may get claimed, but he owned a contract that was more than what Ty France is making, so it also seemed possible he would simply be shown the door. Instead, the Red Sox jumped the line and gave up a prospect for Alcala, and will take on his contract. 

The Twins received a low level prospect known more for an impressive bat flip than for anything he has done on the field. He lay outside of the top 30 prospects for the Red Sox, and isn't expected to get to the top of the Twins charts either. Nevertheless, this trade is probably a winner for the Twins, who now have the tiniest bit of wiggle room in their payroll.

The Twins needed to do something in the wake of two injuries on the rotation and a disaster of a game on Tuesday night. They have had disruptions to the pitching staff lead directly to collapses before. This year, it was imperative that the organization not stand pat. Even though Alcala was at the fringe of the roster, and this is a bit of addition by subtraction, I think it counts as a first step. Alcala came to the Twins with Gilberto Celestino in the Ryan Pressley trade -- he's been with the team for a while. Letting a veteran go is a wake up call for everyone. Patience isn't unlimited, and players can be moved if it makes the team better.

Or put more powerfully, players WILL be moved if it makes the team better. The Twins got lucky to get a return for Alcala. The next steps will need to be more substantive.