Blue Jays Acquire José Soriano

The trade of Soriano emphatically underscores that for the Angels, this deadline differs from years past. Owner Arte Moreno has previously resisted allowing former general mangers Perry Minasian and Billy Eppler to shed high-end players the had under long-term control. Interim GM John Mozeliak, installed in late June after Minasian’s dismissal, seems as though he’ll indeed have that autonomy. Under Mozeliak, the Angels had already traded reliever Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe, but neither was the same caliber of player of Soriano — a clear playoff-caliber starter who is arbitration-eligible through the 2028 season.

Toronto entered deadline season looking like a seller, but it quickly became clear they’re not entirely operating in just one of the conventional buy/sell lanes. Even as they shipped impending free agent Kevin Gausman off to the Cubs, they’ve brought in Jameson Taillon and explored the market for more controllable players who can help in 2027 and beyond. Taillon will eat some innings in the rotation down the stretch in ’26, but Soriano is a genuine upgrade both this season and in each of the next two.

The 27-year-old Soriano is being paid just $2.9MM this season and will earn a pair of raises in arbitration over the next two offseasons (barring an extension). Although he’d already been a quality arm in 2024-25 (282 innings, 3.93 ERA, 20.9 K%, 10.3 BB%), Soriano has taken his game to a new level in 2026.

Soriano opened the season with a run that was as dominant as it was unsustainable, allowing just one run through his first 37 2/3 frames. He’s cooled since that time but still touts a 3.29 ERA, 24.9% strikeout rate and 51.9% ground-ball rate. Soriano’s command isn’t great, as evidenced by an 11.2% walk rate, but this blend of velocity, strikeouts and grounders is rare. His four-seamer is sitting 97.2 mph this season, and his sinker isn’t far behind, at 96.4 mph.

Prior to this season, Soriano worked almost exclusively off that sinker. In 2026, he’s deploying the sinker and four-seamer at near-identical levels. As a result, a ground-ball rate that sat 63.1% in 2024-25 is down to its current 51.9% mark — still nearly 10 points above average — while Soriano’s previously below-average strikeout rate climbed. A 13% swinging-strike rate and 31.8% opponents’ chase rate both suggest there could even be a few more punchouts in the offing.

Additionally, Soriano will now move to a team with a markedly better infield defense, which should only help his grounder-heavy repertoire play up. The Jays boast plus defenders at both middle infield spots (Andres Gimenez, Ernie Clement), and despite some offseason concerns, Kazuma Okamoto has played a very solid third base in his first big league season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a career-worst season at the plate, but he’s grading out as a plus defender over at first base (6 Defensive Runs Saved, 4 Outs Above Average).

For the Jays, getting Soriano (and to a lesser extent, Taillon) can help them keep some faint postseason hopes alive. The broader focus is on proactively building out the rotation for future seasons, but swapping Soriano into Gausman’s spot in the rotation doesn’t leave their current chances any worse off; if anything, he’s probably an improvement, given that Gausman struggled over his final six weeks in Toronto.

Gausman’s departure — whether via trade or free agency — shined a light on the Blue Jays’ long-term need in the rotation. Toronto signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year deal and has Trey Yesavage under control long term, but Gausman, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin are all free agents at season’s end. José Berríos had Tommy John surgery in May and won’t be ready until midway through 2027, at the earliest. Cody Ponce signed a three-year deal after a huge KBO breakout, but he tore his ACL in his first start of the season. He’s not a sure thing next year. Adding Soriano to the Cease/Yesavage pairing suddenly gives the Jays a very strong foundation in the starting staff.

In terms of payroll, the change is negligible. MLBTR’s new Payroll Tracker showed Toronto entering deadline day with a cash payroll just north of $279MM and a CBT payroll of $320.677MM, leading to an estimated $44.4MM of luxury taxes. Soriano’s remaining salary ($873K) will push cash payroll north of $280MM and tack on another $960K of taxes. The total financial outlay for the remainder of the season isn’t much more than $1.833MM, though Soriano’s salary will jump considerably in arbitration this winter after a terrific 2026 season.

For the Halos, Nimmala will immediately become their top position prospect and either their top or No. 2 prospect overall. Baseball America ranks Nimmala as the game’s No. 39 overall prospect, just four spots behind top-ranked Angels pitching prospect Tyler Bremner (No. 35). Nimmala, a 2023 first-rounder, is playing at the Double-A level in his age-20 season and could realistically be an option for the Angels by next season.

Nimmala hasn’t yet unlocked all of his raw power, but he’s hitting .265/.364/.453 with eight homers, 18 doubles and six stolen bases in 62 games (264 plate appearances) between two Class-A levels and Double-A this season. He’s walked at a hearty 12.5% clip and struck out at a 22.7% rate. Nimmala missed about a month earlier this summer due to a hamstring injury but otherwise hasn’t run into injuries of note in his professional career thus far.

Scouting reports on Nimmala tout him as a likely regular at shortstop, given both his range and strong throwing arm. His hit tool isn’t high-end, but he’s making enough contact in the minors that strikeouts don’t currently look like they’ll be an alarming issue. He’s an above-average runner with enough raw power to profile as a potentially well-rounded regular at a premium position, even if he’s not a plus defender or perennial 30-homer threat.

Adding Nimmala isn’t any kind of indication that shortstop Zach Neto is on his way out the door, although as with Soriano, the Angels have listened on him. The 2022 first-rounder has been the Angels’ most consistently productive player in recent seasons and is controllable three additional seasons, through 2029. As such, the asking price has been huge. Even if the Angels hold Neto, they could consider moving him to another position next season or breaking Nimmala in as a third baseman once he’s ready for his debut. If Neto is dealt before today’s deadline however, Nimmala could have a far more open path to an everyday role next year.

Neither of the other two prospects in the deal ranked among the Blue Jays’ top 30 at either Baseball America or MLB.com, but Micheletti is having a nice season at the Double-A level. The 2024 eighth-round pick out of Virginia Tech has totaled 401 plate appearances over 93 games and batted .251/.347/.454 with 14 home runs, 20 doubles, four triples, five steals (six attempts), an 11.5% walk rate and a 17.5% strikeout rate.

FanGraphs’ Brendan Gawlowski listed Micheletti as an honorable mention in his preseason report on the Jays’ top prospects, noting that he has above-average power and a keen eye at the plate but questions about his defensive home and hit tool. The 24-year-old has played all three outfield spots this season, albeit only three games in center. The vast majority of Micheletti’s defensive time this season has been spent in right field. He seems likely to settle in as a lefty-swinging corner outfield or first base/designated hitter option if he can continue getting to enough of that power in a game setting.

Rivero is only 19 years old. He’s spent his career thus far playing in the Dominican Summer League (2024-25) and with the Jays’ Complex League affiliate (2026). In 113 professional innings, the Venezuelan-born Rivero has a 3.66 ERA, 28.7% strikeout rate and 12.7% walk rate.

Baseball America’s Josh Norris just ranked Rivero the as the 19th-best prospect in the Florida Complex League, calling him clearly the best pitching prospect on the Jays’ roster in that league. Rivero showed a mid-90s heater with a low-80s slider and high-70s change, per that report. He’s listed at 5’11” and 172 pounds. There’s not a big track record of 5’11” righties sticking as starters, but Rivero has the velocity and multiple breaking balls to try to zero in on if he ends up adopting a two-pitch mix as a bullpen arm somewhere down the road. For now, the Halos will surely see if he can stick as a starter.

This morning’s trade simultaneously gives clear answers about both teams’ direction while raising further questions about their long-term outlooks. The Angels are clearly more willing to trade controllable players than in the past. Will they continue down that road with trades of Neto and lefty Reid Detmers? The Jays, meanwhile, clearly aren’t committed to competing at all costs this season but have interest in keeping some hopes alive while fortifying next year’s roster. They have plenty of other rentals to deal away (e.g. Daulton Varsho, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer), but could they also look to bring in a bat who could help them down the stretch in ’26 and into 2027-28? We’ll know by tonight.

Jeff Passan of ESPN and Ben Nicholson of Sportsnet simultaneously broke the news of Soriano going to Toronto. Passan also broke the news of the Angels’ return in the trade.