Jose Soriano made one of the biggest splashes of the trade deadline when the Toronto Blue Jays acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for a three-prospect package.
Under contract for the rest of this season and two more beyond it, Soriano is expected to become a real fixture in Toronto's rotation.
Ahead of his home debut against Boston, the 27-year-old joined the 6ix Inning Stretch podcast with Lindsay Dunn and Whit Merrifield to discuss his time in Toronto so far.
Soriano's actual Blue Jays debut came last Friday against Philadelphia, squaring off with Cy Young contender Zack Wheeler in a 5-4 Toronto win. He turned in 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out three, showing real composure working out of trouble.
"It was special because they are really good fans," Soriano said. "I didn't even know they were going to have a lot of fans there, so it was very special."
Why his bond with Dylan Cease matters for this rotation
Toronto hopes Soriano can pair with Cease to form a genuine top-of-rotation duo. Cease has been dynamic all season, sitting at a 2.41 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 174 strikeouts, second in all of baseball.
Soriano brings his own real stuff to the mix, a fastball averaging 97.2 mph paired with a slider-splitter combination, sitting at a 3.37 ERA this season for Toronto.
He spoke openly about leaning on Cease as he settles into his new surroundings.
"He's having a really good year and he's a really good teammate," Soriano said. "I just try and follow what he's been doing the whole year. I ask him questions and he really takes his time answering them back, so I really appreciate him."
Soriano's path here wasn't easy. He's undergone two Tommy John surgeries, back to back in 2020 and 2021, limiting him to just two outings across three seasons.
"It was hard at one point because I got frustrated and wanted to give up and didn't want to play baseball anymore," Soriano said. "Thank God my dad is here because he helped me a lot. Once he talked to me, I realized I'm not going to throw away all the hard work I've put in."
Do you believe Jose Soriano and Dylan Cease can become a dominant rotation duo for the Blue Jays?
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