Cardinals Fans Need to Pay Attention to George Soriano Right Now

The St. Louis Cardinals are going to have some decisions to make over the next few weeks.

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher George Soriano (65) delivers a pitch during a spring training workout at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The St. Louis Cardinals were busy throughout the offseason in the trade market, to say the least.

While most of the headlines out there centered around Brendan Donovan, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals made a few quiet moves as well. One was trading right-handed pitcher Andre Granillo to the Washington Nationals in exchange for righty flamethrower George Soriano. The deal added legit stuff to the bullpen battle. Granillo was in the 54th percentile in fastball velocity in 2025. In comparison, Soriano was in the 72nd percentile.

Soriano isn't a big-name talent, by any means. He has a 5.95 career ERA in 72 big league appearances. But, again, he has big-time stuff and that means upside at just 26 years old. He also has been good in Spring Training so far. Soriano has made two appearances and hasn't allowed a run yet while striking out two batters.

The Cardinals flamethrower is someone to watch

Feb 14, 2026; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Michael McGreevy (36) and pitcher George Soriano (65) work from the bullpen during spring training at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

He's pitched well enough that MLB.com's Will Leitch predicted that Soriano will be on the Opening Day roster.

"Bullpen (8): Justin Bruihl, Luis Gastelum, Tink Hence, Riley O’Brien, JoJo Romero, George Soriano, Ryne Stanek, Matt Svanson," Leitch wrote. "The Cardinals will be shuffling guys in and out of the bullpen all year, but there’s reason to have optimism here. Bloom has reportedly been a big part of finding bullpen arms the last few years, even while serving under John Mozeliak, and you can see his stamp on pitchers like O’Brien and Svanson."

He absolutely should as well. This is a young roster we're talking about in St. Louis. The Cardinals should be betting on upside all over the place. Just because his career ERA doesn't look pretty, doesn't mean he can't help this team in 2026.

Out of all of the spots on the roster, the bullpen is most up in the air for St. Louis. The Cardinals traded pieces away last summer and there are roles out there for the taking. Soriano certainly should have a shot early on to show how his stuff can play for St. Louis over at Busch Stadium.