Too early to talk about trades? Maybe. But if the Tribe resides in the cellar of the AL Central much longer, we might not get the opportunity to seriously discuss them later.

The first trade option I’m going to throw out there is Rangers’ closer Joakim Soria.

Why he’s available…

Since the calendar hasn’t even turned to June yet, it’s safe to say he isn’t firmly on the trade block just yet. But the Rangers have been destroyed by injuries and it’s tough to imagine them making a serious run in the second half this year. If they do fall off (they’re 27-26 right now), Soria will be one of their most tradable assets.

He’s earning $5.5M this year, with incentives that could push that number over $6M. He also has a $7M option for 2015 and with his injury history the Rangers’ may prefer to put him in the block rather risk giving $7M to closer who will be 31 years old.

The again, the Rangers like to spend money. So maybe he won’t he even be offered up.

Why the Indians want him…

Because he’s not John Axford.

Everything that makes Axford painful to watch (the home runs, the walks, etc), is exactly what makes Soria the perfect replacement.

Axford has given up as many home runs this season as Soria has yielded walks. Soria’s also given up 26 home runs in his career, while Axford has surrendered 23 in just the last three seasons.

Can they afford him?

It’s tough to say what the asking price would be for Soria. He’ll be one of the top relievers on the market if the Rangers throw up the white flag. But ultimately he’s a rental closer, and those guys generally don’t get much on the trade market.

Kyle Crockett’s fast rise to the majors certainly makes him intruiging trade bait for a team like the Rangers who want to remain competitive in 2015. He’s capable of helping out right now and has the potential to develop into a back end of the bullpen guy.

The Rangers would probably want more than just Crockett, but that’s a reasonable starting point for negotiations.

The competition…

Everyone can use an extra arm in the bullpen so the Indians would have to get into a bidding war with multiple teams.

The entire AL East is in win-now mode and all five teams could use the bullpen help. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Blue Jays make a serious run at him. They have a solid group at the back end of the bullpen, but the addition of Soria would give them a solid leg up on the competition in that area.

If I were to bet, I’d say Soria either stays in Texas or lands in the East, but not before the Indians at least inquire about his services.


11 Comments

  • Gvl Steve says:

    So a team that’s over .500 and has almost unlimited resources is going to sell off their closer to a small-market team 5 games under .500 that’s already over budget? Come on. What’s gotten into you lately? PTSD?

    • Ryan McCrystal says:

      Does being 5 games under .500 in May guarantee being out of contention in July? The Indians were under .500 on June 17 last year and made the playoffs.

      As for Texas, Chris Gimenez and Robinson Chirinos are sharing the catching duties. Rougned Odor is their starting second baseman. And they’ve already used 10 different starting pitchers this season, including Scott Baker and Joe Saunders. With all their injuries, it’s not exactly a roster built for the long haul this year.

      • Gvl Steve says:

        If you want to be optimistic, I’m not going to take that away from you. I wish I felt any optimism about this season.

        P.S. Rougned Odor gets my vote for coolest name of the year.

  • Andy says:

    It’s this kind of thinking (hopefully management doesn’t have) that will relinquish us to the basement forever. The Indians do not need a $5MM closer. We simply aren’t in the financial position to pay a guy that only pitches one inning when we are already winning that kind of money. The Indians will likely be able to get similar performance at closer (a made up position we don’t really need in the first place) through home grown talent.

    • Ryan McCrystal says:

      When it comes to signing someone on the open market I’m 100% with you.. but for a July-October rental I think its much different. For starters, you don’t take on the entire salary. You’re only paying for roughly half the season, which ends up being less than Mike Aviles’ contract. That 2 or 3 million that it will cost isn’t money that really gets carried over to 2015 and plays a significant role. If they have it in the budget, which most teams do in case they’re in contention in July and need to make a trade, it’s just money that’s laying around and available for a short-term rental.

    • Jack Glasscock's Cup says:

      you use that word. i do not think it means what you think it means.

  • mondo dentro says:

    As rickety as our pitching is, it’s in much better shape than the offense. We need a true clean up hitter, which would likely also help our other slumping power perk up (by taking psychological load off of them). The problem is, I think power hitters are in short demand and hence pricey. That’s why it’s these sorts of deals are “attractive”: it’s analogous to someone who can’t afford a BMW, so they blow their money on a used motorcycle that they don’t even really need.

    • mondo dentro says:

      BTW, I’m not saying I wouldn’t be happy to have Soria on the team. He’d certainly be an upgrade over Axeford–though, who knows? Axe might come around like Ubaldo did, under Callaway’s tutelage. Also, I’m a continued skeptic regarding the constant refrain (which, to me, comes across as an excuse) that the Tribe is a small market team and so can’t do this or that. As in any business, the issue isn’t just the budget for outlays, but how much those outlays might result in increased revenue. It seems to me at least *likely* that the Dolans are penny wise and pound foolish. I mean, how much money are they losing because of poor attendance, to take an obvious example? But then, I haven’t seen their books. Has anyone else?

      • andy says:

        Not an excuse, but a reality. The Indians simply do not have the kind of room in the budget to pay for an established closer. They also shouldn’t be paying for the Swisher/Bornes of the world. That $20MM/year would have been way better spent on a topline power hitter or true ace than the combination we got. The reality is that true topline talent is worth every penny, but in most cases the mid tier guys aren’t worth much more than replacement.

        • Jack Glasscock's Cup says:

          Top-line power hitters are outside the Tribe’s price range unless they’re home-grown or ‘rehabbed,’ like double-E in Toronto. And a top-line starter has never signed with the Indians. It just doesn’t happen. Those signings were lauded when they happened. The process that led to them was correct; don’t go all revisionist history on us. The results have been poor but the choices were right.

      • Jack Glasscock's Cup says:

        I disagree with the analysis, Ryan. Soria makes too much money; pro-rating is still real salary. If the Indians traded for him in July, the amount of money he would make in the second half would be more than any team pitcher besides Masterson. That’s a real expense; one the Indians wouldn’t take lightly. Also, it’s interesting you target Crockett. He isn’t even available to trade until after the player draft next month. He still has 6 years of team control ahead of him, a real bargaining chip in today’s baseball market, and he has shown the ability to get hitters out. That’s not a person to trade. Soria is two years removed from reconstructive surgery and has 3 months of control . . .at 12 times the cost, and may mean, if he’s lights out, 1.5 wins between trade date and the end of the season.

        I believe Axford comes back. His command has been off, and he’s lost confidence. But I’m also a guy that doesn’t care who pitches the ninth. Other relievers do the heavy lifting with higher-leverage situations earlier in the game. The closer is like the knob on the top of a bed-post. It’s just there for show. The post itself carries all of the support.

        Man, if we could do business together . . . I have this piece of property, see, it’s next to a nuclear reactor; I used to let the plant bury waste on it, but they said it was a-ok. Plus, it’s on a fault line. I’ll give you a good deal.