The Toronto Blue Jays entered play on Monday 4 1/2 games out of a wild card spot, but still decided to make a major acquisition ahead of the trade deadline by adding José Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels.
Toronto’s postseason odds are slim, but Soriano brings much more than a chance to make a run this year. He has two more years of club control, and the Blue Jays decided to pay a steep price for him, knowing what the pitching market looks like in the coming offseason.
The Blue Jays gave up their No. 2 prospect, Arjun Nimmala, as the headliner going back to Los Angeles. He is the No. 43 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline, and is regarded as one of the best infield prospects in the sport. However, the Blue Jays seem to value having two more years of Soriano than him.
Kevin Gausman has already been shipped out of Toronto in a trade with the Chicago Cubs, and will see Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, Jameson Taillon and potentially José Berríos hit the open market in the offseason.
They will have Trey Yesavage, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Soriano and highly-touted prospect Ricky Tiedemann under contract for next season now. Had they not added Soriano, they would be searching for a starter in the offseason.
Trading Nimmala could come back to bite them, but the team still has shortstop JoJo Parker in the organization. He is the No. 27 prospect in baseball and the top prospect in the organization.
As for the Angels, this is a glimpse into how John Mozeliak is looking to run things moving forward. For years, the Angels have opted not to sell in times when their team is not in a position to win. However, trading Soriano and landing an elite infield prospect is a change of pace for the team.
Soriano being traded likely points to Reid Detmers and Zach Neto being dealt as well. The team has already traded away Jo Adell, and the haul of prospects they get from all of these trades could set the team up for success in a few years.
It may take some time for these moves to pay off for Los Angeles, but if they don’t want to spend big, this is the way to compete.
Now, the Blue Jays will hope Soriano can help them make a miraculous run into October, but even if he can’t, they’ll see the addition as a win. With whispers of a salary cap and a lockout circulating, they will be happy to know they have a controllable starter to slot into their rotation next season.
Photo: Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher José Soriano (59) was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
