Angels' Jose Soriano Showed Cardinals Exactly What They're Missing

This is something the Cardinals wish they had.

Jun 30, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano (59) pitches to the Seattle Mariners during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The St. Louis Cardinals are reeling after another excruciating loss on Monday night, this time to the Los Angeles Angels. They still narrowly hold the third National League wild card spot, but are at risk of falling out of playoff position.

The team simply does not have enough pieces in place to ensure that they will get to the postseason and make a run. In fact, the writing appears to be on the wall for St. Louis. 2026 is starting to slip away from them.

Their starting rotation has held up for the most part, but they could always use a little more help for the future. On Monday night, Jose Soriano showed them exactly what they are missing, as he went seven innings and allowed just two runs for the Angels.

Jose Soriano proves what Cardinals are missing

Jun 19, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels pitcher José Soriano (59) throws a pitch against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN listed the Cardinals as a possible landing spot for Soriano with the trade deadline close. Unfortunately, Soriano himself is likely going to be too expensive for the Cardinals given his years of club control.

However, somebody like Soriano is exactly what they are missing. He is 8-6 with a 3.43 ERA in 21 starts this season and has struck out 122 batters in 118 innings pitched. He is not a free agent until 2029.

The Cardinals could use more starting pitchers with years of control. The best way to acquire that this year is not by actually going after Soriano himself. Instead, they can sell high on some of their trade assets such as Riley O'Brien and bring back a few younger pitchers that have years of control.

This is the best way the Cardinals can build for the future and have enough pitching depth for the next couple of years. Dustin May likely won't be back in 2027, so having enough depth is important for the organization.

They already have Quinn Mathews, Brycen Mautz, Hunter Dobbins and Richard Fitts when he finally returns from the injured list next year, but more certainly wouldn't hurt, and adding somebody at the deadline in exchange for one of their trade chips that can be plugged into their rotation instantly would make a lot of sense.

Somebody similar to Soriano could set them up well for the future, and depending on the asking price for certain trade chips, they might be able to bring back a couple of pieces that can help them now and in the future.