Blue Jays Linked to Another Trade Target in Red Hot Angels Ace Pitcher
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The Toronto Blue Jays are trying to get things back on track after a rough start to the year has been marked by a seemingly endless amount of injuries and cold offense.
While a win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night is a nice start, there's obviously plenty of work to do. General manager Ross Atkins attempted this week to upgrade the ailing offense by making a surprising trade with the Chicago White Sox for Lenyn Sosa, and he had to option Tyler Fitzgerald as a result.
With numerous injuries to the pitching staff as well however, perhaps a trade for another starter could make the most sense at some point this year.
In a recent article, Zach Pressnell of Fastball on SI named Los Angeles Angels ace José Soriano as someone Toronto could pursue amid what has been an absolutely absurd start to the year for the 27-year-old right-hander.
Blue Jays Named Trade Fit for José Soriano
"Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jose Soriano is the best pitcher in baseball right now," Pressnell wrote.
"He's allowed nine hits and one earned run over 27 innings and four starts. The Angels are 4-0 in games that Soriano starts, but 4-8 in the other 12 games. He's a true difference maker with the ability to be one of the best pitchers in the league this season. Obviously, a 0.33 ERA isn't sustainable, but he could be the ace of the Blue Jays staff if he's thrown on the trade block this season."
Soriano has truly been absurd this season as Pressnell pointed out with the stats, but it's his impact that has been the most significant part. In just four starts which add up to 27 innings, he already has an absurd bWAR of 1.8 to lead all of Major League Baseball.
It's the kind of boost that would change up any pitching staff, let alone one like Toronto's which is so banged up.
What It Could Cost Blue Jays to Land Soriano
Over 53 appearances in the last two seasons before his torrid start in 2026, Soriano has pitched to a 3.93 ERA with a 4.2 bWAR, and given his young age, it's safe to say Los Angeles is just now seeing him start to break out.
Young, controllable aces are among the most coveted assets in baseball, and given that the right-hander is under contract for two more years after 2026, he would not be cheap to acquire at all. This would be a deal that would take multiple top prospects and potentially an established big league player as well.
If Toronto feels Soriano could push this team back to the World Series though, it would be hard to say it's not worth it. A deal like this would not come until likely closer to the trade deadline, but clearly Soriano is worth monitoring over the next couple months to see if he can keep it up.
Should he be able to, he would become the most coveted deadline asset across baseball.
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Michael Brauner is a 2022 graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Sports Media. He covers various MLB teams across the On SI network and you can also find his work on Yellowhammer News covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers as well as on the radio producing and co-hosting 'The Opening Kickoff' every weekday morning on 105.5 WNSP FM in Mobile, Alabama.