Joakim Soria

Joakim Soria was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Pittsburgh Pirates at the most recent MLB deadline and was evidently only a short-term rental. The Pirates determined Soria wasn't worth keeping or paying ample money for, and now the free-agent reliever has signed with the Kansas City Royals. 

Veteran reliever Joakim Soria picked an opportune time to hit free agency after posting his best ERA since 2010. Given the always-robust market for bullpen arms, especially ones with a history of closing games, the 31-year-old figures to draw a lot of interest this winter. 

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Five weeks into the 2015 MLB season, the Detroit Tigers (19-13) are looking up at the Kansas City Royals (20-12) in the American League Central Division standings.

A one-game deficit in no way constitutes “languishing,” but the Tigers are a team accustomed to being front-runners. Winning four straight division titles is testament to that.

Joakim Soria had a forgettable time with the Detroit Tigers last season. After being shipped over in a trade from Texas he pitched poorly in the regular season (4.91 ERA), and even worse in the postseason (0-1, 45.00 ERA in two games).

The 2014 baseball season hasn’t been the kindest to Ron Washington and his Texas Rangers.

After all, they have led the big leagues in trips to the disabled list, and at one point, they had 16 players on it for one injury or another. And with 13 players currently on the DL and sitting 26 games under .500, the club is just hoping to finish the rest of the season unscathed.

The MLB All-Star break came and went, and now the 30 major league franchises have no choice but to stare down the rest of the season and decide whether they are in the buyers or sellers camp in 2014.

July 31 is the trade deadline, and teams would be loathe to linger on the deals that can either set them up for future success or bring in the high-caliber talent that will put them over the top in their respective divisions. 

As we close in on the July 31st MLB trade deadline, many teams are in the market for a shutdown closer. 

Closers can serve two purposes for these teams.

In the case of the St. Louis Cardinals, Fernando Salas has been more or less serviceable, but without Eduardo Sanchez, they could use another option in the ninth inning.

Other teams hope to make use of a closer acting as a lights-out setup man.

It's going to be extremely difficult for the Royals to compete this season. 

They lost 95 games last year, and lost the likes of Zack Greinke, Yuniesky Betancourt, and Jose Guillen, to boot.

2012 is the target date; several baseball experts have proclaimed that the Royals' farm system is baseball's best in a decade.

It's been 25 years since Kansas City last made the postseason, and they've had just one winning season in the past 16 years. 

The future is bright, and patience is a virtue.

This is something that the Royals haven't had for awhile: two All-Stars in the same season.

However, it could very well be a reality this year for KC, with a strong possibility of their two best players making the cut.

If you really think about this, it starts to make some sense.

On one hand, you have a two-time All-Star closer in Joakim Soria, and on the other hand, you have an emerging, young hitter in Billy Butler who has really improved in many areas throughout his short big league career.

Kansas City Royals (2010 record: 67-95)