MLB Trade Rumors: Why Joakim Soria Is No Longer a Viable Trade Option
The Kansas City Royals made news this offseason when they announced that the team would be willing to deal All-Star closer Joakim Soria for the right price.
Many began to think that the club was going to deal the talented 26-year-old Soria, especially after it was reported that Soria himself said that he would be willing to go to a team like the New York Yankees.
Now, after most of the MLB offseason dust has settled, Soria is still a Royal. Here are some reasons KC will not trade him and he is here to stay in Kansas City.
Gil Meche's Retirement
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You might be thinking, what does Meche retiring have to do with Soria not being traded in the future?
It makes a lot of sense. First of all, Meche leaving the team makes the Royals pitching staff weaker as a whole, and a guy like Soria just became a more indispensable player based on Gil's recent departure.
It also frees up around $12 million that the Royals were going to owe Meche, and they can use this towards giving Soria a nice contract extension in the near future.
A Weak Royals Bullpen
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In 2010, the Royals used 16 different pitchers in their pen and compiled a 4.46 ERA for the season.
It wasn't the worst ERA in the league, but when you throw out Soria's microscopic 1.78 output, it really puts into perspective just how bad KC's pen was last season.
Without Soria in this bullpen, Kansas City loses its go-to guy, and until prospects like Tim Collins and Blaine Hardy make their way to the big leagues, the Mexicutioner will be the glue that holds everything together in the Royals pen going forward.
Great Closers Are Hard to Come by These Days
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We live in a day where solid closers are becoming more and more important each season.
Joakim Soria is just that, as he saved 132 of 145 chances in his career, which equals an amazing 91 percent clip.
He also has a four-to-one K/BB ratio and an astonishing 0.99 WHIP for his career.
These are some staggering numbers for a guy who has yet to hit the prime of his big league career, and with many already dubbing him the next Mariano Rivera, there is no reason to get rid of him now or anytime in the future either.
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Soria Wants to Be in Kansas City
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Joakim Soria has stated multiple times before that he loves Kansas City and wants to be a Royal.
This might not sound like much, but when you consider that he is saying he wants to be a Kansas City Royal, he is one of a select few that have publicly said that in recent memory.
Unlike former teammate Zack Greinke, Soria doesn't seem to be disgruntled about another rebuilding effort by Royals GM Dayton Moore, and he has the exact kind of attitude that Moore wants in a player as well.
He's Joakim Soria!
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The former Rule Five draft pick has been an amazing story for the Royals and is one of the few players that they have ever gotten lucky with, so to speak.
He is becoming one of the biggest steals in franchise history, and Dayton Moore knows that getting rid of him is simply not the answer.
After all, how many guys can strike out opposing hitters with a 60 MPH curveball time and time again?
That's right—Joakim Soria, and he is only going to get better.
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