As the trade deadline nears, contenders are in the market for any pitching they can find. One of the crucial things championship contenders must have is a strong bullpen. The Pirates sought to find a set-up man to plug in the back of their bullpen and they've found it with the addition of Joakim Soria. MLive Media Group's James Schmehl was first to break the story.
Pittsburgh's relievers have the fourth-best ERA in baseball at 2.71 with the 11th-best batting average allowed (.239). Pirates' closer Mark Melancon has been sensational this season with a 0.94 WHIP, 1.32 ERA and has converted 32 of 33 save opportunities. The Pirates set-up man entering today was Tony Watson, who holds a solid 1.01 WHIP a 46/9 K/BB ratio in 45 2/3 innings and has 23 holds. It was already a great eighth and ninth inning duo but the addition of Soria will make it even better.
Soria was made the Tigers' closer in 2015 after Joe Nathan needed Tommy John surgery in May, ruling him out for the season. Soria has converted 23 of 26 save opportunities this year, compiling a 2.85 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 36/11 K/BB ratio in 41 innings. He will lose his job as a closer, being bumped down to a set-up role but he transitions from the 49-52 Detroit Tigers to the 59-41 Pirates. Soria is set to become a free agent at the end of the year, so Detroit was wise to trade him now.
Detroit continues its efforts of trading away key pieces on expiring deals for the second time today. In exchange for Soria, Detroit receives SS/OF prospect JaCoby Jones. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter was a third-round pick in 2013 and slowly climbed up the rankings. After hitting .253 with 10 home runs, 58 RBI's and swiping 14 bases, he earned a promotion tou Double-A Altoona on July 27. He entered the season rated as the Pirates' 10th-best prospect by minorleagueball.com and MLB.com ranked him as the Pirates' 12th-best prospect.
Fantasy Impact
Soria's fantasy value obviously takes a significant hit by losing out on significant save opportunities. He moves to the National League where the pitching should be a little easier, but he isn't the elite set-up man who has major fantasy value because they rack up strikeouts like a Wade Davis.
As Detroit continues to restock, saves will be harder to come by for whomever they name closer. Detroit certainly still hopes Bruce Rondon's electrifying fastball will find its spots and his command will improve. Rondon has a 8.25 ERA and 1.75 WHIP on the season, with 11 earned runs in 12 innings. There is still plenty of reason for optimism, demonstrated by his 13.5 K/9, 2.66 FIP and a .455 baBIP, which is guaranteed to decline. He will get an opportunity for saves as will Al Alburquerque, both are worth monitoring for cheap saves.