Arizona Diamondbacks find their next closer in Joakim Soria
It’s certainly been a quiet offseason for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Following a disappointing last-place finish in the NL West a season ago, the Diamondbacks have yet to make any notable moves this Winter. Arizona broke out of this hibernation on Wednesday after reaching a deal with 13-year MLB veteran reliever Joakim Soria.
Nick Piecoro, a Diamondbacks beat writer for The Arizona Republic, reported this signing on Wednesday. According to reports, Soria agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.5 million after spending the past two seasons with the Oakland Athletics.
The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with reliever Joakim Soria on a one-year, $3.5M deal. He can earn another $500K in bonuses based on appearances. @Ken_Rosenthal was first on the news.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) February 3, 2021
Arizona Diamondbacks ink Joakim Soria
This signing fills a huge need for Arizona, who was left without a true closer after trading away Archie Bradley at last year’s trade deadline. On the year, Arizona ranked 18th in bullpen ERA (4.60) and 22nd in WHIP (1.463).
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Soria is a true journeyman as the 36-year-old has pitched for seven different teams throughout his 13-year career. Arizona marks the eighth team of his career. He presents a solid, veteran presence the Diamondbacks bullpen is in desperate need of.
The 36-year-old owns a career ERA of 3.01 and 1.254 WHIP. Like many relievers before him ala Blake Treinen or Liam Hendriks, Soria’s career was revitalized in the Bay Area. During his two-year run in Oakland, Soria pitched to a combined 3.94 ERA including a 2.82 ERA mark last season. He also earned All-Star recognition in 2008 and 2010 for the Kansas City Royals.
Throughout his career, Soria has been known to strike batters out at an above-average level, which is another good fit for Arizona. The Diamondbacks bullpen ranked 23rd in strikeouts per nine innings last season at an 8.9 clip. Soria owns a career ratio of 9.8 strikeouts per nine, including eight seasons in which he struck out more than 10 batters per nine.
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It’s a pretty clear-cut path for Soria to take over the closer role in Arizona, although Stefan Crichton and Kevin Ginkel may be in the mix. As two prospects with less than three years of MLB experience, both Crichton and Ginkel will benefit from this veteran presence.