Amid speculation that he could the next Royal to be traded, Joakim Soria told Robert Espinosa of Mexican paper Vanguard that he wouldn’t block a deal to the Yankees, who are on his no-trade list.
In fact, Soria said his no-trade list -- which also consists of the Red Sox, Phillies, Tigers, Cardinals and Cubs -- was included by his agent for strategic purposes.
In other words, it’s entirely negotiable. Hypothetically, Soria’s agent could leverage the no-trade clause in order to get a team like the Yankees to pick up (or agree to decline) his club options through 2014 or even negotiate a contract extension in order to complete a trade. Or, like Zack Greinke, he might waive it for nothing whatsoever. It’s a smart move.
By the way, are you one of those people who think the Royals have nothing to lose by stretching out Soria out as a starting pitcher during spring training? Well, Soria isn’t on board with that idea. He specifically told Espinosa that he isn’t interested in being a starter.
(Hat-tip to MLB Trade Rumors for the link)