Baseball is finally back, and trade talks are heating up. Less than two weeks remain before the July 31st deadline. Of course trades can be and often are made after that deadline when players clear waivers, but a good chunk of the action will occur in the next two weeks.
Two names that are receiving a lot of interest are Texas Rangers closer Joakim Soria and San Diego Padres stopper Huston Street. Both are pitching very well in relief for teams that won’t be around in October.
2014 is Soria’s first full season after coming back from his second Tommy John surgery. He served as the Kansas City Royals closer from 2007-11 and notched 160 saves. However, he missed the entire 2012 season, and appeared in just 26 games for the Rangers in 2013.
Going forward, Soria will probably allow a few longballs, but he’s producing his best swing and miss rate since 2009. The Detroit Tigers are looking to shore up their bullpen, which has been an issue for the second straight year.
Last season they dealt Danry Vasquez and David Paulino to the Houston Astros in exchange for Jose Veras who transitioned to a setup role with the Tigers. Offseason acquisition Joe Nathan has struggled, though his recent results have been better. Still, his walks are up and his fastball velocity is down. Soria would help solidify the bullpen for a postseason run, and with a $7 million team option for 2015, he’s more than a rental.
Street somehow saved 33 games with a 2.70 ERA in 2013 despite allowing 12 home runs in 56.2 innings and posting the lowest strikeout rate of his career. In 2014 he’s done much better, with strikeout and walk rates of 28.1 percent and 5.8 percent. Like Soria, he’s not endowed with an overpowering fastball, as his heater averages just a shade over 89 miles per hour.
He does have an excellent slider which he throws quite often. For his career he possesses a 13.4 percent swing and miss rate. While a lot of that can be chalked up to his slider, he also throws a good changeup, which has a career 18.7 percent whiff rate. Also like Soria, his contract has a $7 million team option for 2015.
The Tigers will take a hard look at Street as well. The Angels are also interested. They swapped closers with the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier in the year, but new acquisition Jason Grilli is historically inconsistent. They would prefer to utilize Joe Smith in a setup role.
Either Soria or Street would be a solid pickup for the Angels or Tigers, two teams that are loaded offensively and could make a serious playoff run. Unlike the Tigers, who have the AL Central all but locked up, the Angels are in a tight race with the A’s where one or two games could make a big difference.
