Rafael Soriano gets a new lease on life following a forgettable second half last season after reportedly agreeing to join the Chicago Cubs in the Minor League.
The 35-year-old reliever was a free agent before the Cubs signed him up. The deal stands to be a good chance for Soriano to make it to the Major League as well. If that happens, Soriano will receive a $4.1 million deal should he make the roster.
Soriano’s signing also becomes a reunion of sorts with Joe Maddon. Maddon was the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays. Soriano was in the bullpen for the Rays in 2010 and believes that Soriano could be someone who can help out the team on the mound.
Soriano hasn’t pitched the whole season after a dismal season despite oddly being healthy. In 2014, he curiously had only 32 saves for the Washington Nationals, 10 coming in the second half.
It seems that the reason behind the signing of Soriano was his experience. Maddon is hoping that once Soriano is around, he can share some pitching wisdom on the other guys on the Cubs roster.
But the first thing the Cubs have to do is get him from the Dominican Republic to Arizona. There are also questions up in the air on how ready Soriano is considering he hasn’t pitched against any live hitters this year.
And apparently this is one reason why Soriano is still in the minors – to get himself back in condition and ready to face hitters soon.
“Was always impressed about what he saw from the bullpen,” Maddon said in an article via ESPN. “I’d like to believe that’s part of his value.”
The deal thus adds Soriano to another newcomer in the fold with Yoervis Medina. Medina was acquired through a trade with Seattle for catcher Wellington Castillo. The Cubs seem to be replenish their overworked roster.
At the moment, Neil Ramirez is on the injury list while Jacob Turner has just appeared at Double-A Tennessee.
So why the stockpiling of pitchers on the bullpen?
The Cubs are looking for a long receiver and current players Edwin Jackson and Travis Wood have apparently not been able to adjust to the Cubs situation, especially during close games.
And hopefully, Soriano and Medina can fill up that slack and fare better particularly in high-leverage situations as the Cubs try to switch on to win-now mode.
Will the acquisition reap dividends? As Maddon said, all that would depend on how Soriano pans up and when he gets there.