The Toronto Blue Jays have started to turn things around as of late. Today, Toronto secured a victory over the Atlanta Braves. Now that they’re back in the mix, one baseball analyst is pitching a trade for Angels’ ace, Jose Soriano.
The Blue Jays Should Trade For Jose Soriano
@firesidebaseball recently made a post on trades the Angels could make if they decide to rebuild.
Currently, Los Angeles is 24-39, at the bottom of the lowly AL West.
One trade had the Blue Jays landing a breakout starter in Soriano. Here’s what the transaction looked like:
Blue Jays receive: Jose Soriano (SP)
Angels receive: Arjun Nimmala (TOR #2, SS), Johnny King (TOR #3, LHP), Charles McAdoo (TOR #25, 3B/1B)
Soriano, 27, is in the midst of a breakout season. Through his first 13 games started, the right-hander owns a 2.72 ERA and is striking out over 10 batters per nine–both career highs.
The advanced metrics back up Soriano’s newfound success. He ranks in the 90th percentile or better across baseball in pitching run value, breaking ball run value, offspeed run value, and whiff percentage. His repertoire has been gleaming all season long, and it’s directly led to missing more bats.
Historically, Soriano has been more of a groundball-first pitcher. He’s one of the high-ceiling arms that had legitimate arm talent but couldn’t quite find strike three. This season, the groundballs have remained, but he’s added more swing-and-miss. This deadly combination has Soriano amongst baseball’s best starters through June.
The Blue Jays are on the right track–and people are taking notice.
MLB Reacts to Blue Jays’ Win Over Braves
Here’s what people are saying about the Jays:
Sportsnet: “The Blue Jays are back in the win column.”
Blue Jays Today: “Holding the Braves to 2 runs on a Chad Dallas bullpen day is absolutely electric stuff.”
BET99 Ontario: “The Toronto Blue Jays (+235) avoid the sweep and beat the Braves 7-2. Only 2% of the money was backing the Blue Jays +1.5…the Jays won by 5. Toronto returns home for a series with the Orioles.”
Thomas Hall: “They don’t ask how, just how many…4 very big insurance runs — all coming with 2 outs — for a #BlueJays bullpen that’s been running on fumes these last few weeks.”
Dean Skoreyko: “Blue Jays should start the players who finished the game against the Braves. 7-2 Jays win.”
Milb Central: “Chad Dallas goes BEHIND THE BACK to get the final out of the third inning. #BlueJays50.”
@Damon98_: “Spencer Miles, Brandon Valenzuela, Yohendrick Pinango, Charles McAdoo. The Blue Jays are being carried by their rookies.”
The Blue Jays’ Rotation Is Full of Injuries
Not only do the jays need extra firepower down the stretch, but their starting staff hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
Current starting pitchers on the shelf include: Dylan Cease (15-day IL), Jose Berrios (60-day IL), Shane Bieber (60-day IL), Lazaro Estrada (60-day IL), Bowden Francis (60-day IL), Cody Ponce (60-day IL), and Max Scherzer (15-day IL).
With so much production missing from the current roster, it’s clearly time to look for external solutions.
The Blue Jays have managed to tread water purely with internal guys thus far. Breakout youngsters like Pinango and Varland have put forth an immaculate effort. Without the extra juice, however, the Jays may continue to lag behind the best teams in the AL East.
Blue Jays Named Fit For Angels’ Ace After Win Over Braves