Pirates, Tigers making progress on Joakim Soria

The Pittsburgh Pirates were trying to bolster their bullpen for the stretch drive on Thursday, reportedly nearing a trade for Detroit Tigers closer Joakim Soria, per James Schmehl of MLive.com, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.

After Detroit traded away David Price to the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tigers are looking to continue to rebuild their farm system.

The Tigers will receive one minor leaguer in return, as indicated by FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi.

The Pirates already have Mark Melancon, an All-Star who’s been excellent since a shaky start, in the closer’s role, but just about any team can always use bullpen help. His 2.85 ERA is a little deceiving, with his 4.81 FIP and 3.71 xFIP stronger indicators as to his individual performance. Either way, it could be a move to add another piece or two to a Tigers team that wants to get younger.

Soria becomes the second player shipped off in the Tigers reboot. The 31-year-old has been very solid since taking over the closer role in Detroit, going 23-for-26 in save chances.

Note: Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs.