Royals ink Justin Topa to minor league contract

Topa had signed a minor league deal with the Royals in early July but he exercised an opt-out clause earlier this week and has now latched on with the Yankees. The 35-year-old hurler holds an 8.05 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and a 12/11 K/BB ratio over 19 innings at the big league level this season.

Topa was designated for assignment, and now the 35-year-old will be free to find a new team. How much interest other clubs will have is up for debate, as he forged an ugly 8.05 ERA in his 19 innings this year. Topa will likely be looking at a “prove it” minor league deal at this stage of his career.

The Twins needed to clear space on the 40-man roster for Orlando Arcia, so Topa will be the one who goes. The 35-year-old at one point seemed like a good bet to be part of the Twins’ closer committee, but he has pitched to an 8.05 ERA in 19 innings for them this season. However, he did have a 3.90 ERA in 60 innings out of the bullpen for Minnesota last season, so there’s a chance that some team puts in a claim to grab him off waivers.

Topa came on with a comfortable 4-1 lead to protect in the ninth, but things tightened up quickly as Kazuma Okamoto crushed a one-out, two-run homer to make it a one-run game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Jesus Sanchez then followed with singles to put the tying run in scoring position before Lenyn Sosa bounced into a game-ending double play. Trying to speculate on save chances in the Twins’ bullpen is a fool’s errand.

There were no hard-hit balls against Sands; a groundball single, a sac bunt and then an outfield flare were enough to produce the decisive run. This one shouldn’t alter his status in the closing mix in Minnesota. It especially doesn’t hurt because Justin Topa gave up a run in the seventh, and Eric Orze took a blown save by allowing a run in the eighth.

Topa came in to get the final two outs after Eric Orze struggled to get through the ninth. It’s the first save for Topa, and while it’s possible he could get a few chances as the season continues, there’s not going to be enough opportunities to suggest he’s worth rostering.

Richie Palacios hit a two-run homer as the first batter Topa faced today. Topa then went on to give up a single and a walk with one out, getting him pulled in favor of Taylor Rogers. Rogers allowed one of the inherited runners to score while walking two batters. All of this came after Cole Sands pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings in a tie game, so it was a particularly encouraging day for those rostering Sands in the hopes of getting some saves from a Twins reliever.

It was 2-0 when Cole Sands took over against the top of the Royals order in the eighth. He gave up a run on singles from Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. and a Vinnie Pasquantino sac fly before exiting with two outs. Taylor Rogers then struck out Joc Caglianone to end the inning. That seemed to set up Topa’s first save chance, but the Twins hit three homers in the top of the ninth to make it 5-1. It seemed the bottom of the ninth still might get interesting after Royce Lewis committed an error on a Jonathan India grounder and Isaac Collins walked to start the frame, but Lane Thomas grounded into a double play and Kyle Isbel struck out to end it. We’re guessing the Twins would have gone the other way here and used Topa in the eighth and Sands in the ninth if it weren’t all the Royals’ best hitters due up in the eighth. Still, it’s a fluid situation at the moment. We wouldn’t be excited about rostering any Twins relievers in a standard league, but Sands is probably the best bet for now.

Even though he’s struck out five, Topa has allowed nine runs in 2 2/3 innings. Topa had a 3.90 ERA in 60 innings last season before missing the final two weeks with an oblique strain. He also picked up four saves in August after Jhoan Duran was traded. Because the Twins have done nothing to replace Duran, Topa remains a closing option for the team. Still, it’s really difficult to recommend any Twins reliever right now.

Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune adds that he’ll get a $1 million base salary for 2026 and the deal will include a $5 million mutual option ($225,000 buyout) for the 2027 season. The 34-year-old right-hander earned $1 million during a 2025 campaign in which he registered a 3.90 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and a 49/18 K/BB ratio over 60 innings for the Twins. He’ll once again function in a middle relief role for the Twins in 2026.