In five of Bob McClure's six years as KC's pitching coach, he had Joakim Soria on his staff. In at least three of those seasons, he was able to turn Soria (taken in the Rule 5 draft from San Diego) into a dominant closer. In 2008, he had 42 saves and an ERA of 1.60. In 2010, he notched 43 saves and a 1.78 ERA. With an off-year in 2011 (28 saves, 4.03 ERA), he has been discussed as trade bait by the Royals. The Red Sox have had discussions, but backed off the asking price. However, now that Bob McClure is in the fold, it might be time to re-start the Soria talks. McClure might be the perfect guy to make Soria a dominant ninth-inning guy again—something the Sox desperately need.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Will McClure Re-Start Joakim Soria Talks?
In five of Bob McClure's six years as KC's pitching coach, he had Joakim Soria on his staff. In at least three of those seasons, he was able to turn Soria (taken in the Rule 5 draft from San Diego) into a dominant closer. In 2008, he had 42 saves and an ERA of 1.60. In 2010, he notched 43 saves and a 1.78 ERA. With an off-year in 2011 (28 saves, 4.03 ERA), he has been discussed as trade bait by the Royals. The Red Sox have had discussions, but backed off the asking price. However, now that Bob McClure is in the fold, it might be time to re-start the Soria talks. McClure might be the perfect guy to make Soria a dominant ninth-inning guy again—something the Sox desperately need.