Pirates Get RH Joakim Soria From Tigers For Minor Leaguer

Detroit Tigers trade rumors suggest David Price, Yoenis Cespedes, and Joakim Soria will be dealt before the Major League Baseball trade deadline.

“We feel it will just lengthen and deepen our bullpen”, general manager Neal Huntington said.

The return for Soria wasn’t significant, nor was it expected to be – as the market for closers is slim this time around, unlike when the Tigers acquired him from the Rangers last July. If they’ve essentially waved the white flag for 2015, trading their closer-who’s a free agent at the end of the year-is a sensible move.

Soria will give the Pirates another strong late-inning right-handed option to go with Hughes. He has recorded 23 saves in 26 opportunities, including the 200th save of his career.

Soria has been throwing harder this year and throwing his fastball more than ever, and the only flaw in his performance to date has been his bizarrely high home run rate, mostly on four-seamers.

He hasn’t been dominant in that span, though, giving up 11 hits, walking seven and hitting two batters in 13 1/3 innings, though he had 16 strikeouts.

“The Pirates will have to make a corresponding roster move when Soria joins the club”.

In addition to trading away Adames, the Tigers also dealt Eugenio Suarez (Alfredo Simon trade), Devon Travis (Anthony Gose trade) and Domingo Leyba (Shane Greene trade) in the offseason, and designated Hernan Perez for assignment earlier this season, leaving both shortstop and second base a bit barren throughout the system. Caminero has a 4.37 ERA in 46 games and Guerra’s ERA is 3.52 through nine games.

Hes started a game in a pinch.

Blanton wound up making a comeback with the American League Central-leading Royals and now finds himself with the Pirates.