On Wednesday night the Texas Rangers sent reliever Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers for two pitching prospects, which has garnered trade rumors among other contending teams who are looking to fill the holes in their rosters before next Thursday's trade deadline.
Pending physicals, Soria is expected to join the Tigers on Thursday. Rookie right-hander Corey Knebal and minor league prospect Jake Thompson will be sent to Texas, with Knebal being assigned to Triple-A Round Rock and Thompson going to Double-A Frisco. According to Jason Beck of MLB.com, Soria will assume the role of setup man behind closer Joe Nathan.
"I'm going to a new team, and that's going to be my new family and I will do whatever they want me to do," said Soria, in this ESPN article. "I want to help them win the World Series -- that's what this is all about -- and I hope to help them out as much as I can."
This trade has perhaps put pressure on other contenders to acquire a solid arm or bat before next Thursday's deadline. The division-leading San Francisco Giants were said to have expressed interest in New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon due to a hole in their starting rotation with Matt Cain heading to the disabled list. But it was reported the Giants want the Mets to pay a large amount of Colon's $11 million salary in 2015, something the Mets said they would not do.
Cliff Lee and David Price are two other names that could be dealt in the coming weeks. ESPN's Buster Olney reported that Lee can be traded after next Thursday's deadline because he will clear waivers, allowing the Phillies to move him in August. However, his first start back from nearly a two-month stint on the disabled list had scouts worried about his velocity and command. He surrendered six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Giants on Monday night, but teams want to see how he performs on Saturday in his next start against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Those who have expressed interested in Lee, who is owed $48 million over the next 1 1/3 years, include the Angels, Orioles, Tigers, Royals, Yankees, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Brewers, Pirates, and Giants (all had scouts at Monday night's game). All of these teams are playoff contenders with the exception of the Rangers and Diamondbacks.
On the other hand, David Price isn't owed a ton of money like Lee is, but teams interested in Price are going to want a financial commitment from him if they are prepared to send young/valuable players to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Price's services. According to a league source, the St. Louis Cardinals are interested in Price, but would want a financial commitment from the left-hander because his one-year $14 million contract expires at the end of this year. The Seattle Mariners were also said to have been in trade talks about Price.
The next seven days will surely be filled with rumors and a number of transactions, especially among the league's contenders. You can read more about trade rumors on ESPN.com's Rumor Central page.
