During the Kansas City Royals run of success, their three headed monster in the bullpen has been key. However, at this point, they cannot trust Joakim Soria, who was to be a part of that trio.
When the Kansas City Royals signed Joakim Soria to a three year, $25 Million contract this past offseason, it meant more than having the Prodigal Son return home. This was a way to continue the bullpen Cerberus that the Royals had carefully cultivated over the years. Greg Holland was out, mainly due to his Tommy John surgery, and Soria, the best relief pitcher on the market, was in.
However, at this point, Soria is not close to the pitcher the Royals and their fans thought they were getting. Slotted as the primary setup man for Wade Davis at the start of the season, he has struggled to a 4-8 record with a 4.13 ERA and a 1.459 WHiP. Soria’s excellent command has deserted him this season, as he has walked four batters per nine innings, his highest mark since 2013 when he was coming back from his own Tommy John surgery.
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With the Royals nine games out of the American League Central, and four back of the Wild Card, it is easy to lay the blame at Soria’s feet. His performance on Wednesday, giving up two runs while recording two outs to cost the Royals the game, was just another moment proving that he cannot be trusted with the game on the line. At this point, when Soria enters a game, there is a sense of dread, as the Royals faithful is waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Statistically, these feelings are justified. Soria has allowed a .280/.353/.460 batting line in close and late situations. Those numbers are worth a 134 split OPS+ (100 is the norm for such a situation, indicating that hitters perform 34 points above average against Soria). In a tie game, the numbers are even worse, as the opposition is tattooing him for a .341/.392/.614 batting line, or a 168 sOPS+. He simply cannot be trusted in these situations right now.
And yet, that is the role that the Royals continue to use Soria in. For a team that not only had playoff aspirations heading into the season, but has essentially stated that their window of opportunity will be in the next two years, they cannot afford to use Soria as a late inning option. Yes, the Royals spent a great deal of money to bring him back, but his performance indicates that he is not someone that can be trusted at this point.
Perhaps, in the next two years, Joakim Soria can once again be a key part of the Kansas City Royals bullpen. Right now, he is a slightly above average reliever who cannot be trusted with the game on the line.
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