Joakim Soria
Position: Relief Pitcher
Bats: Right — Throws: Right
Born: May 18, 1984 (Age 31)
The Mets have a big gap in the bullpen, right between their starting pitcher and closer Jeurys Familia. The free agent market for relievers is fairly strong this offseason, with the most sought-after reliever probably being submariner Darren O’Day. However, Joakim Soria comes in a very close second.
The two-time All Star is a very consistent lock down reliever who has a lot of closing experience over the course of his career, logging 202 saves, including 24 last season.
In his career pitching for the Royals, Rangers, Tigers, and Pirates, he has appeared in 444 games, striking out 481 batters while walking 126 in 461 innings, while posting a solid 2.57 ERA and 1.062 WHIP.
Last season for the Tigers and Pirates, Soria pitched 67.2 innings, striking out 64 batters and walking 19 while logging 24 saves to go with a 2.53 ERA and 1.0941 WHIP. He held batters to a .219 batting average.
Soria features a four-pitch arsenal including a fastball (90-93 mph), changeup (84-86 mph), curveball (69-72 mph), and slider (77-80 mph). He is well known for keeping batters off balance with his slow-velocity breaking balls thrown with the same arm action as his fastball.
In the last three years (2013-2015), Soria has been effective against both left and right handed batters. Interestingly, lefties hit for more power against him, but righties reach base a tad more.
LHB: .230/.270/.367 — 271 AB, 12 doubles, 2 triples, 7 HR, 14 BB, 1 HBP
RHB: .209/.293/.308 — 234 AB, 6 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HR, 25 BB, 4 HBP
Soria is one of the most consistent relievers in the game.
Contract: Joakim Soria earned $7 million in 2015 and is projected to get a 3-4 year deal worth $7-9 million annually.
Recommendation: Pursue Cautiously. The Mets should definitely consider bringing the veteran reliever to New York, however they need to be wary of a four-year deal which would pay him through his age 34 season, so age is a factor. Also, a lot of teams will be vying for his services, so expect him to be on the high end of the projection. I wouldn’t spend more than $8 million a year on him. With all of the Mets starting pitchers and Jeurys Familia throwing 95+ mph, Soria’s 70 mph curveball could really mess with batter’s heads and be even more effective. He would definitely bolster the Mets bullpen and be an effective bridge to Familia.
