Joakim Soria seems to be back in the good graces of manager Ned Yost and who knows whether he ever lost his favor with the front office or general manager Dayton Moore. However, Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports recently posted via Twitter that Soria had changed some teams on his no-trade list, apparently a move designed to shift some strategy or possibilities around the upcoming MLB Trade Deadline.
The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies are all still on the no-trade list but the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies are now on the list. It’s a move that reveals Soria’s hand a bit.
It’s safe to assume from this reported move that Soria wants to stay in the American League where he’s already familiar and has served considerable time against the competition. He also wants to avoid the limelight of the major market clubs like Boston and New York. Or perhaps it’s the AL East he wants to avoid, and he knows that other teams like Toronto, Baltimore or even Tampa Bay won’t deal for him.
The teams listed for the National League are all teams with bullpen issues who might have been interested in an established closer locked up for several more years at an affordable price. The Phillies have lost multiple bullpen components to the disabled list. The Rockies could use one or two more dependable arms in their pen. The Braves and Dodgers, however, don’t make as much sense. Atlanta just sent two young arms to the All-Star Game from their pen and are set there. The Dodgers are candidates to sell their pieces off, not acquire a veteran arm that would cost them prospects.
Either way, the reasonable assumption is that Soria is most likely staying through the deadline, which is a good move. There’s no reason to trade Soria at this point. The Royals should keep their bullpen a strength through the transition to younger players and allow dynamic arms like Aaron Crow to avoid the ninth inning in their first year.