NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Injured closer Joakim Soria and the Texas Rangers finalized their $8 million, two-year contract on Tuesday.
Soria, a two-time All-Star with Kansas City, is recovering from elbow ligament-replacement surgery on April 3. The 28-year-old right-hander also had the ligament replaced in 2003.
“He had opportunities. He could have gone somewhere else and closed,” Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. “The fact that he was willing to come here and set up speaks in volumes.”
Soria, whose deal includes a team option for 2015, will be a setup man for Joe Nathan.
“He got a great review on his physical today,” Daniels said. “Obviously, he’s eight months off of surgery. He’s still got a ways to go to get back, but pretty much it was as good a review as it possibly could have been. He’s throwing out to 105 feet, and he’s still got a throwing progression before he gets up on the mound. But he’s put on some good weight during his rehab. He’s working out in physiotherapy in Phoenix and an aggressive projection is possibly being back in May. We’re encouraging him to take it slow and get it right, because when he’s right he’s such an impactful piece in the `pen.”
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