The Chicago Cubs agreed to acquire right-hander Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night, adding a veteran starter as they pursue an NL Central title, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trade was not official, said Washington received two minor leaguers: infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin.
An All-Star in 2019 with Atlanta, the 27-year-old Soroka is 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA this season
for the Nationals, who signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract in the offseason. He should provide depth in the Cubs' rotation behind Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga.
The Canadian is 20-26 with a 3.91 ERA in six major league seasons. He tore his right Achilles tendon on a routine fielding play in 2020, then injured the same tendon while walking into Atlanta’s ballpark the following year. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA last season for the Chicago White Sox.
The Cubs trail the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers by one game after beating them 10-3 earlier Wednesday. The Nationals are last in the NL East and fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez earlier this month.
The 18-year-old Cruz joins Washington's farm system after batting .270 this season for the Cubs’ Rookie-level Arizona Complex League squad. The 25-year-old Franklin is batting .265 with eight homers this season for Triple-A Iowa.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
