Jose Soriano Traded to Blue Jays, Latest on Angels' Return and Toronto's Updated Rotation

Even though the Toronto Blue Jays made a sell-off move on Sunday by dealing Kevin Gausman, they countered on Monday by making a trade to acquire Jose Soriano from the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels will receive prospects Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Micheletti and Angel Rivero from the Blue Jays in exchange for Soriano.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the news.

Unlike Gausman, who was in the final year of his deal, Soriano has two more years of arbitration before becoming a free agent after the 2028 season.

Blue Jays Updated Starting Rotation

• Dylan Cease, RHP
• Jose Soriano, RHP
• Max Scherzer, RHP
• Shane Bieber, RHP
• Trey Yesavage, RHP
• Jameson Taillon, RHP

Soriano was scratched from his scheduled start against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday night, fueling speculation that he was on the way out.

"There are a lot of things going on right now," Soriano said after the Angels' 6-2 loss against the Brewers on Friday. "Everybody is thinking about the trades; it happens. But at the same time, we try to stay positive and focused on winning. This part of the season is always crazy, but we have to be prepared for anything to happen. I just focus right now on trying to help the team. I'm not able to pitch today, but I still try to support my teammates. Whatever happens, I'm good with that."

Amid a disappointing season for Los Angeles, Soriano led the team with a 9-6 record and a 3.29 ERA while adding 127 strikeouts in 123 innings pitched. In his two starts since the All-Star break, he allowed just two earned runs over 12 innings with 12 strikeouts.

After being shipped away from the worst teams in the majors, Soriano is joining a Toronto squad that is better than the Angels and only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot despite a 52-60 record.

The Blue Jays will be hoping that Soriano can remain consistent down the stretch of the regular season, but this is also a move designed to help them prepare for 2027 with Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer and Jameson Taillon all in the final year of their contracts.

Los Angeles has been in a dire state for years at this point, and the situation hasn't been getting better. The farm system is ranked as the second-worst in MLB by B/R's Joel Reuter, even though the Angels have had a top-15 pick in eight of the past nine drafts.

Soriano was arguably the biggest trade chip the Angels had, and they cashed it in for one high-end prospect and two wild cards who could turn into something.

Nimmala is the main piece returning to the Angels. He is the No. 44 overall prospect in MLB and is hitting .265/.364/.453 in 62 games across four levels in 2026.

Micheletti, an eighth-round pick in the 2024 draft, owns a .244/.368/.438 slash line in 219 games in the minors. His 14 homers in 93 games this season has tied his previous career-high set in 106 games last year.

Rivero signed with Toronto as an international free agent in January 2024. He is only 19 years old and owns a 2.36 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 42 innings at rookie ball this season.