The White Sox traded reliever Joakim Soria and “cash considerations” to the Milwaukee Brewers today in exchange for pitching prospects Kodi Medeiros and Wilber Perez. As of this writing, the exact amount of cash being sent has not yet been reported.
Soria has been the team’s nominal closer in 2018 and had been performing at a high level as of late. In his last 25 games he had posted a 0.74 ERA, struck out 32 batters in 24.1 innings, and was allowing a scant .161 BAA. The 34-year-old’s salary for 2019 is $9M for the full season (about $4M remaining), and he has a 2019 option at $10M with a $1M buyout.
Now for the fun part. More prospects? More prospects!
Medeiros is the headliner here. The left-hander was selected 12th overall in 2014 having just turned 18, for $2.5M (slot was $2.81M), so the Brewers clearly saw a lot in his potential. As a pro he’s been moving up the system slowly but steadily, and he’s currently with AA Biloxi for his age 22 season. He has struggled with bouts of wildness, but the past two years his strike-throwing has increased quite a bit (as have his strikeout totals). As this is his fifth campaign in the minors, he will be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in December if he’s not added to the 40-man roster by November.
Kodi is ranked the 13th best prospect in the Brewers’ system by MLB Pipeline, but was 21st on Fangraphs’ list in the offseason. Combining reports from the various national outlets, his main offerings are a heavy low-90’s fastball that will touch 95, paired with a slider that has been graded plus. However, the rest of his portfolio doesn’t show much, with his change-up as struggling towards average and command improving but still fringy. He has a lower arm slot and analysts seem to think there’s a good chance he ends up a reliever, where he could be a very effective LOOGY.
No word yet on how the Sox plan to use Medeiros in terms of role yet – he has been mostly a starter in the Milwaukee system. For further on Medeiros, you can read this June scouting report from 2080 Baseball which includes video links. You can also enjoy this video:
The other arm acquired in the deal is Wilber Perez, a 20-year-old Dominican right-hander currently pitching in the DSL. This of course means that information is limited. He’s certainly putting up some very strong numbers there in 2018 (40.1 IP, 25 H, 9 ER, 13 BB, 47 K), but all stats from that league should be taken with lots of salt.
Wilber Perez is a 20-y/o righty in the DSL (not a great start to a profile) 88-91 with a cutter, low-70s curveball and change.
— Eric Longenhagen (@longenhagen) July 26, 2018
Medeiros likely fits in around the back end of the White Sox Top 30 Prospects – our Midseason edition will be out after the July 31st trade deadline.
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Seems like a decent enough of a prospect return for veteran Joakim Soria. The White Sox are top heavy in right-handed starting pitching prospects so the lefty could be a welcome addition to their system. The righty they acquired figures to give them even more bullpen depth.