Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins explained why he traded for Los Angeles Angels starter Jose Soriano at the MLB trade deadline.
In a blockbuster deal, the Blue Jays sent top prospect Arjun Nimmala and two other prospects to the Angels for Soriano, who has 2.5 seasons of team control left.
It was a surprising move for the Blue Jays, given they had dealt former ace Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs the day before in a move that signaled that the team was selling. Instead, they chose a hybrid approach at the deadline, opting to sell rentals like Gausman and Daulton Varsho, while picking up players with control like Soriano.
Ross Atkins Explains Jose Soriano Trade
Speaking to reporters after the Blue Jays pulled the trigger on their blockbuster deal for Soriano, Atkins explained his thinking behind the trade, suggesting that the Blue Jays believe that Soriano has yet to hit his potential as a front-line MLB starting pitcher.
“He’s been incredible. Since his injuries and transitioning from the ’pen to a starter, his stuff is electric. He’s competitive and throws the ball over (the plate) at a good enough rate. Our pitching group led by Pete Walker is getting better every day and they’ve had success in this area,” Atkins said (via MLB.com).
This season, Soriano has a 3.29 ERA in 22 games started for the Angels. He has also accumulated 127 strikeouts in 123 innings and has racked up 2.7 bWAR. That’s the good.
The bad, however, is that Soriano leads the American League in walks allowed by a pitcher with 57. That’s clearly a problem, but as Atkins noted, Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker has had success helping pitchers curb their walk rate. Case in point, Dylan Cease, an uber-talented pitcher who had a walk problem in his career yet has turned into a Cy Young candidate in his first season in Toronto.
The Blue Jays are hoping that by bringing Soriano into their building and having him work with Walker and the Blue Jays’ other pitching coaches, the team can help him with his walk problem and turn him into an elite MLB starting pitcher.
John Schneider Excited for Jose Soriano
As one would expect, Blue Jays manager John Schneider expressed his excitement to add a terrific pitcher to his rotation for potentially the next 2.5 seasons, which is how much control the Blue Jays have left on Soriano before he becomes eligible for free agency.
“I think there is a way to unlock more strike-throwing ability and that comes with catching, too, the catcher’s setup and framing. There are some areas we want to evolve a little bit with his game. He’s got a really, really good starting point to go forward with, obviously. He’s having a great year,” Schneider said.
While giving up Nimmala and two other prospects was a high price to pay for Soriano, if he turns into a Cy Young-caliber type of pitcher in Toronto, then this trade will be well worth it for the Blue Jays.
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