Kyle Bogenschutz of Scout.com and Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket reports that the Tigers have acquired reliever Joakim Soria from the Rangers in exchange for pitching prospects Jake Thompson and Corey Knebel. FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi says the deal is only pending the three physical exams.
Soria has been solid as the Texas closer this season, boasting a 2.70 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 42/4 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings. He could eventually -- or immediately -- take over the ninth-inning job in Detroit, where veteran Joe Nathan has been unreliable.
Soria didn’t come cheap for the Tigers, who lead the AL Central but are gearing up for October. Thompson was a second-round pick in 2012 out of a Texas high school and owns a promising 2.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 203/69 K/BB ratio in 200 2/3 career innings between rookie ball and Double-A Erie. He’s only 20 years old. Knebel was a first-round pick in 2013 (39th overall) and has registered a dominant 1.26 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 84/27 K/BB ratio in 64 1/3 minor league innings. The 22-year-old out of the University of Texas had also made eight relief appearances for the big-league Tigers this season, though the results were not spectacular.
Soria is making $5.5 million this season and carries a $7 million club option for the 2015 campaign.