Teams searching for relief help this offseason don’t have quite as much depth to pore over as they did last winter, when 14 relievers signed deals for between $10 million and $30 million. Craig Kimbrel and Adam Ottavino were thought to be at the top of the reliever class and are still available, but after that, just nine other relievers made our Top 50 Free Agents list. Joe Kelly and Jeurys Familia got things moving for those nine last week. Andrew Miller came off the board last night. Jesse Chavez has already signed a deal for just $8 million guaranteed. Kiley McDaniel predicted that Kelvin Herrera and Cody Allen, who are both toward the end of our list, would also fall short of an eight-figure guarantee. Not much of the mid-tier remains, and yesterday, the A’s decided to enter the fray by signing Joakim Soria to a two-year, $15 million contract, per Jon Heyman.

Oakland’s bullpen played a big role in their run to the 2018 playoffs, putting up a 3.37 ERA, 3.91 FIP, and 5.7 WAR that ranked fifth in all of baseball. A great deal of that production is owed to the brilliance of Blake Treinen though Familia pitched well after his trade from the Mets. Lou Trivino, Ryan Buchter, Fernando Rodney, and Yusmeiro Petit also contributed. The latter four return next year, but with Familia heading back to the Mets, the A’s felt the need to bolster the back end of the pen.

Joakim Soria started last season with the White Sox after spending most of his career in Kansas City. He pitched well for Chicago, and then pitched well for the Brewers, earning a late-inning role on a relief-heavy team. He struck out 8 of the 22 batters he faced in the postseason, but some bad batted ball luck might have caused a .455 BABIP and four runs in 4.2 innings. As Eric Longenhagen noted in his free agent capsule, even at 35 years old in May, Soria should have something left in the tank.

The grim reaper still hasn’t come for Soria’s stuff. His 2018 strikeout rate (29%) represented his highest mark since 2009, and his fastball is harder now (92 mph) than it was then (90 mph). A rare four-pitch reliever, Soria’s pitch usage has fluctuated significantly year-to-year. After a changeup-heavy 2017, Soria returned to more frequent fastball use in 2018. All of his secondary pitches are plus, and Soria may still have a late-career junkballing phase ahead of him if the velocity ever starts going away. Despite his age, one could argue Soria’s track record and repertoire merit a multi-year deal.

Soria got that multi-year deal at the going rate for relievers. In the mid-priced tier, only Zach Britton and David Robertson remain. After those two, teams will either need to pay elite-level prices or go shopping in the bargain bin if they want a free agent reliever for next season.