Joakim Soria recently became a free agent after the Royals declined his $8 million option for 2013. Coming back from Tommy John surgery, the thought is that he’ll look for a closer job on a one-year deal in hopes of re-establishing his value and testing the market again next offseason. But he’s keeping his options open.
Soria’s agent, Oscar Suarez, told Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York today that his client would be willing to pitch as a set-up man for the Yankees if he could learn from his idol Mariano Rivera.
Suarez told Marchand that he has already heard from eight teams, all of them contenders, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has yet to inquire. It appears that Soria’s interest in working with Rivera is genuine and it would make for a pretty natural changing of the guard beyond 2013, but as we’ve seen with other free agents over the years, it never hurts to have the Yankees involved in the bidding.
Soria, 28, has a 2.40 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 160 saves over five seasons in the major leagues. His 181 ERA+ is fifth all-time among pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched. Rivera is first all-time with an ERA+ of 206.
