CINCINNATI (AP) - The Pittsburgh Pirates made another move to upgrade their bullpen Thursday night, acquiring right-hander Joakim Soria from the Detroit Tigers for a minor leaguer.
The 31-year-old Soria was 3-1 with 23 saves and a 2.85 ERA in 43 appearances with Detroit this season. He didn't allow a run in 13 of his last 14 appearances. The deal was made a few hours after the Pirates got versatile reliever Joe Blanton from Kansas City for cash.
Soria will move into a setup role in a bullpen that already ranks among the league's best. Pittsburgh's 2.71 bullpen ERA ranked second to St. Louis for the NL lead.
"We feel it will just lengthen and deepen our bullpen," general manager Neal Huntington said.
Pittsburgh gave up infielder JaCoby Jones, a 23-year-old who was recently promoted to Double-A.