The Los Angeles Angels scratched right-hander Jose Soriano from his scheduled start against the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday. Interim baseball operations leader John Mozeliak confirmed the move was tied to the approaching Monday, Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
“Today, Jose Soriano will not make his scheduled start,” Mozeliak said in a statement. “With the Trade Deadline on Monday and the uncertainty of the next 48 hours, we decided to take a prudent approach and see where these next few days lead us.”
Brent Suter replaced Soriano as the starter, opening a bullpen game. Los Angeles remained competitive despite the late change, as four pitchers combined to allow three runs on five hits while recording nine strikeouts in a 3-1 loss. Suter threw two scoreless innings before recently recalled Brett Kerry surrendered one run over four innings on a solo homer by Jake Bauers. Samy Natera Jr. worked a scoreless seventh but allowed a double to Jackson Chourio in the eighth before Brice Turang hit the go-ahead RBI single.
Soriano, who was informed after Friday’s 6-2 defeat that he would not pitch Saturday, has become one of the most discussed names ahead of the deadline. Mozeliak told USA TODAY Sports that the Angels would remain “open-minded,” with the team reportedly willing to listen on players including Soriano, Reid Detmers and Jo Adell.
Soriano has developed into one of Los Angeles’ most valuable assets. Through 22 starts, he owns a 9-6 record, a 3.29 ERA, 127 strikeouts, a 1.25 WHIP and 123 innings pitched. After compiling a 0.84 ERA across his first seven starts, he recorded a 5.14 ERA over his next 13 outings before finishing the first half with a 3.49 ERA in 20 starts. Since the All-Star break, the 27-year-old has allowed only two earned runs across 12 innings while striking out 12 and walking four. His most recent outing came against the San Francisco Giants, where he permitted one run on three hits over five innings with five strikeouts in an Angels win.
What makes Soriano so appealing isn’t just this season’s performance. He remains under team control through 2028, carries a modest salary, and features one of baseball’s most powerful repertoires, featuring a sinker averaging around 96.5 mph, a four-seam fastball averaging over 97 mph, a splitter near 92 mph and an 85 mph knuckle curve. His increased four-seam usage has increased his strikeout production while he continues to generate ground balls at an elite rate of more than 50%.
Soriano originally signed with Los Angeles as an international free agent in 2016, later underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule 5 Draft before being returned to the Angels in 2021, and made his major league debut in 2023.
The Los Angeles Angels scratched right-hander Jose Soriano from his scheduled start against the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday. Interim baseball operations leader John Mozeliak confirmed the move was tied to the approaching Monday, Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline. “Today, Jose Soriano will not make his scheduled start,” Mozeliak said in a statement.