Breaking News: Official, Chaim Bloom Land Another All-star Reliever

On August 5, the Boston Red Sox designated pitcher Jorge Alcala for assignment following a series of tough bullpen outings.

Chaim Bloom, the former chief baseball officer of the Red Sox, must witness what Craig Breslow witnessed on June 11 when he acquired the righty from the Minnesota Twins.

Following their trade deadline transactions, which included sending reliever Steven Matz to the Red Sox, the Cardinals had a few holes in their bullpen. Although it would be difficult to make it at this point, they are still in the running for the postseason in the National League Central. The Cubs appear to be guaranteed second place, and the Brewers retain a solid grip on first place with the best record in MLB. Alcala’s 2026 deal further strengthens the Cards’ bullpen for the next campaign.

Alcala joins St. Louis’ pitching staff with a 6.64 ERA, 46 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 40.2 innings pitched. His ERA of 8.88 with the Twins is far higher than his 3.31 with the Red Sox, who helped him get a little more command and hone his repertoire.

Cardinals claim recently-DFA’d former Red Sox Jorge Alcala off waivers

Although the veteran’s recent performances made it difficult to defend keeping him, he did show a big improvement with Boston when compared to the difficult first half of his season. His appearance against the Royals on August 4 was the last straw for the Red Sox; he came in with an 8-1 Boston lead in the eighth inning and promptly was pulled after giving up a double and two consecutive home runs. To complete the game, which had suddenly become much tighter, the Red Sox looked to Justin Wilson, Garrett Whitlock, and Aroldis Chapman.In the last innings, Wilson, Whitlock, and Chapman—some of the Sox’s most important late-inning arms—need to be as fresh as possible. It’s not ideal to waste innings in games that should have been blowouts, and in the instance of August 4, Alcala is solely to blame.

In the last innings, Wilson, Whitlock, and Chapman—some of the Sox’s most important late-inning arms—need to be as fresh as possible. It’s not ideal to waste innings in games that should have been blowouts, and in the instance of August 4, Alcala is solely to blame.