Brewers acquire closer Joakim Soria from White Sox
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) The Milwaukee Brewers acquired two-time All-Star closer Joakim Soria to help bolster their bullpen while preparing to play more close games down the stretch.
He won't be the closer, manager Craig Counsell said before a series opener at San Francisco.
Soria was en route to the Bay Area on Thursday night to join the Brewers and be available for Friday's game with the Giants. He was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Thursday for a pair of pitching prospects, left-hander Kodi Medeiros and right-hander Wilber Perez.
''What we're doing with adding Soria is just adding another guy to get outs down in the bullpen,'' Counsell said. ''We'll just kind of continue to add to a group that's been really, really good this year. He's having a very nice season. He's performed at the back end of a bullpen. But he'll get outs for us, like we consider all of those guys down there as just out-getters.''
As part of the trade, Chicago will send Milwaukee $1,064,516 to cover part of the $4,145,161 remaining in the guaranteed portion of Soria's $25 million, three-year contract. Soria has a $9 million salary this year, and his deal includes a $10 million mutual option for 2019 with a $1 million buyout.
The 34-year-old right-hander from Mexico was 0-3 with a 2.56 ERA and 16 saves in 40 relief chances with the rebuilding White Sox this season. He had 49 strikeouts in 38 2/3 innings as opponents batted just .230. Over his last 25 outings, Soria posted a 0.74 ERA and held opponents to a .161 batting average with 32 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings.
Soria is 28-34 with a 2.84 ERA and 220 saves in 613 relief appearances and 662 strikeouts in 612 1/3 innings in 11 seasons that also has included time with Kansas City (2007-11, 2016-17), Texas (2013-14), Detroit (2014-15) and Pittsburgh (2015).
Milwaukee trailed the Chicago Cubs by 2 games entering play Thursday.
Also Thursday, the Brewers recalled shortstop Orlando Arcia from Colorado Springs for his third stint in the majors this year, and they optioned right-hander Jorge Lopez to Triple-A. Arcia, who had an eight-game hitting streak in the minors, was starting and batting eighth.
''He had performed really well,'' Counsell said. ''A lot of this was give some time to just get your confidence going. ... I think he's had a pretty good stretch, an extended stretch, of playing well and swinging the bat well.''
The 22-year-old Medeiros, selected by Milwaukee with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 amateur draft, is 7-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 starts and five relief appearances this year with Biloxi of the Double-A Southern League.
Perez, 20, is 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA in eight starts this season for the Dominican Summer League Brewers, striking out 47 in 40 1/3 innings.
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