The Toronto Blue Jays are acquiring starting pitcher Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported on Monday.
The Angels will receive the Blue Jays’ No. 2 prospect, shortstop Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti, and right-hander Angel Rivero in return.
The Blue Jays officially announced the trade later Monday morning.
Soriano started out of the gate this season as one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, allowing only one run in his first six starts. While he hasn’t kept up that pace, he has still been effective and will provide a boost to Toronto’s rotation for the foreseeable future.
The 27-year-old has two more arbitration years left and will be a free agent after the 2028 season.
Soriano has pitched to a 3.29 ERA this season with 127 strikeouts and an American League-leading 57 walks over 123 innings.
The hard-throwing right-hander debuted in 2023 at age 24 and transitioned from the bullpen to a starting role after his rookie season.
He averages 97 m.p.h. with two different fastballs, and sinker and four-seamer, while also mixing in a curveball and splitter that grade out as plus pitches according to Statcast’s run value.
Meanwhile, Nimmala headlines the prospect package the Blue Jays sent out for Soriano.
Toronto’s first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft at 20th overall, Nimmala has eight home runs, 34 RBIs and an .817 OPS across four minor-league levels this season. He is the No. 43-ranked prospect on MLB Pipeline’s top 100.
Micheletti, an eighth-round pick in 2024, has been playing at double-A New Hampshire this season. He has an .801 OPS, four homers and 14 RBIs.
Rivero has pitched in the Florida Complex League this season. The Venezuelan has a 2.36 ERA in 12 games (nine starts)
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