On June 15, 2021, José Soriano went back under the knife. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, the prospect was selected by the Pirates as the top pick in the Rule 5 Draft in hopes he could transition to the big leagues once fully recovered. Instead, after working all the way back, new damage was found in Soriano’s pitching elbow, necessitating a return engagement with Tommy John. At the age of 22, his career was in jeopardy.
Five years later, Soriano is now the Angels’ ace and one of the more
intriguing commodities at this year’s Trade Deadline.
2026 Statistics (Thus Far): 22 GS, 123 IP, 9-6, 3.29 ERA (78 ERA-), 3.79 FIP (90 FIP-), 24.9% K%, 11.2% BB%, 1.25 WHIP, 2.1 fWAR, 2.7 rWAR
2026 ZiPS Rest-of-Season Statistics: 10 GS, 57 IP, 3-4, 3.89 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 22.9% K%, 10.6% BB%, 1.35 WHIP, 0.8 fWAR
The Pirates returned him to the Angels, the team that signed him out of the Dominican Republic at the age of 17, after his surgery. Once healthy, he quickly rose through their system, skipping over Triple-A altogether to make his MLB debut in 2023.
Soriano was a solid performer over his first three seasons, posting a 3.89 ERA in 324 innings, but he’s taken a step forward this year. This was especially true during the beginning of the season, when he overachieved at run prevention with a dazzling 0.84 ERA in seven starts, winning AL Pitcher of the Month for March/April.
Overall, the right-hander’s 3.29 ERA and 125 ERA+ would both be career highs, and his 2.1 fWAR ranks 16th among all AL starters. He’s been particularly overpowering against righties, who have slugged just .267 with two homers against him. Soriano’s success this year has been keyed by his primary pitch, the sinker. Last year, opponents hit .290 against it, an untenable average for a highly-utilized pitch. This year, the mark is down to .244.
Concerningly, though, the expected batting average against the pitch is .291, casting doubt on the 27-year-old’s surge. So, too, does his xERA (4.36). Soriano has been allowing a BABIP of .276, a number that suggests some regression may be in order. The counterpoint to this is that his sinker, which features 5.2 more inches of vertical drop than league average, may be sustainably inducing weak contact.
The other concern with Soriano is his control. His 57 walks top all of baseball, and his career walk rate of 4.1 BB/9 implies this is no aberration. The difference this time around is that the sinkerballer has significantly upped his whiff rate; only 10 AL pitchers have surpassed his 127 strikeouts.
Despite the jury still being out on how sustainable this season’s success is, Soriano will be a hot commodity at the deadline. With two more seasons of club control after this one, the 27-year-old could slot into three different playoff rotations, with legitimate upside and a demonstrable floor as a back-end starter established over his first three seasons.
Of course, that’s assuming the Angels make him available. Sitting on the worst record in the AL, they’ll surely be sellers. Still, that doesn’t mean they need to move on from players with club control beyond this season, and owner Arte Moreno has a reputation for hesitancy in trading his best players. For his part, LA’s interim GM, longtime Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak, has signaled he plans to be “open-minded” at the deadline, including when it comes to players with additional years of control. That’s already come to pass with two players of less renown, reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe, both dealt to Texas.
Given their rotation depth, the Yankees are not among the most likely destinations for Soriano. As always, though, you can never have too much pitching, and Soriano’s additional years of club control could make him attractive as a long-term play if the price is right. If not New York, plenty of other teams will be asking after Soriano, a starter with the potential to impact a pennant race.
