The Milwaukee Brewers have upgraded their bullpen with the addition of Joakim Soria in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.Milwaukee Brewers BrewersRHP Joakim Soria has been acquired from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for LHP Kodi Medeiros and RHP Wilber P茅rez. uueKGrrdG7According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic http://www.padresfanproshop.com/auth...-szczur-jersey , the White Sox also sent $1 million to cover part of the $3.25 million owed to the reliever for the rest of this season.Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported news of a deal to trade Soria on Thursday.The 34-year-old is in the midst of one of his best seasons in years, producing a 2.56 ERA in 40 appearances with 16 saves. He also has 49 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.Soria is in the last season of a three-year deal initially signed with the Kansas City Royals in 2016, but he struggled with consistency over the past two years and was traded to Chicago in January as part of a three-team deal.He has been much better in his new location, increasing his strikeout rate and lowering his walk rate while also working in more high-leverage situations.While he isn't quite as effective as he was earlier in his career as a two-time All-Star who earned Cy Young and MVP votes in 2010, he should be another quality piece to a Milwaukee bullpen that was already one of the best in the league.The Brewers entered Thursday with a 3.31 bullpen ERA, which ranks fifth best in the majors Craig Stammen Jersey , perESPN.While the team is currently 2.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central, this type of move could help secure the first playoff berth for the franchise since 2011.Soriaalso has a $10 million option for 2019 if he remains effective with the Brewers, but a $1 million buyout if they decline the option.Meanwhile, Chicago adds to one of the top farm systems in baseball.Kodi Medeiroswas considered the Brewers' No. 13 prospect byMLB.com, and he's pitching well in Double-A with 3.14 ERA in 103.1 innings. The 22-year-old left-hander could be a quality starter in the majors within the next couple of years.Wilber Perez is more of an unknown as he's still pitching in the Dominican Republic, but the 20-year-oldrightypossesses quality upside to help complete this deal. The Chicago Cubs have been searching for a starting pitcher before the trade deadline and apparently have their eyes on Cole Hamels.According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post http://www.padresfanproshop.com/auth...hoffman-jersey , the Cubs are "making inroads" on a potential trade with the Texas Rangers for the veteran pitcher.Jim Bowden of The Athletic added that the return would likely be lower-level prospects.Hamels is currently 5-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 starts this season.While the ERA would be the worst in the 34-year-old's 13-year career in the majors, it would still be a slight improvement compared to Tyler Chatwood. The Cubs' fifth starter has been inconsistent this season and has hurt the team's chances to win the NL Central.Hamels has also shown he can be much better even late in his career. Over the previous two seasons with Texas, the left-hander accumulated a 26-11 record and 3.69 ERA, earning an All-Star appearance in 2016.Adding in his playoff experience that includes a World Series MVP award and a 3.48 ERA in 16 starts, the veteran could be a perfect addition for a team looking to bring home another title.Considering Texas is 42-61 on the season, there shouldn't be too much debate about trading away a player in the last season of his seven-year deal Evan Longoria Jersey , which was originally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.The biggest holdup could be money since Hamels is owed $23.5 million this season (including $2.5 million paid by the Phillies), perBaseball Reference. He also has a buyout of $6 million for next year if the team doesn't pick up his $20 million option, which seems unlikely.The Rangers could have to pay for a portion of the remaining contract, but the amount of money sent could also affect the level of return from the Cubs.