Michael Soroka is back on the market after turning down his side of a $10 million mutual option with the Diamondbacks, according to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. He’ll collect a $1 million buyout and head back into free agency.
The move hardly came as a surprise. Soroka turned a one-year Arizona deal into a stronger payday opportunity after joining the club last offseason on a $7.5 million contract.
He also added $1.35 million in performance bonuses by making 20 starts, and his role expanded when Merrill Kelly landed on the Opening Day injured list. What began as a swing assignment turned into a full-time spot in the rotation.
Soroka delivered steady production for much of the year. He worked as one of Torey Lovullo’s most dependable starters, stayed in the rotation all season and finished with a 3.41 ERA over 116 innings.
Among Arizona starters, he posted the team’s best strikeout rate at 24.1 percent and kept walks in check at 6 percent. His season did fade some after left glute strain and arm inflammation sent him to the injured list, but the overall line still pointed to solid mid-rotation value.
It also marked his heaviest workload since 2019.
That workload history will matter in free agency, and it probably keeps Soroka out of the top of the market. Even so, he should draw interest on a multi-year deal.
He’s heading into his age-29 season with one of the sharper strikeout-and-walk profiles among the mid-tier starting pitchers available, and a three-year contract is on the table. A two-year deal in the $10-12 million range looks like the floor.
Arizona would like to keep talking about a reunion, but the price may be the sticking point. Mike Hazen has already suggested the Diamondbacks may not be eager to spend heavily on a free-agent starter, and the club could instead hunt for a younger arm on the trade market. The D-backs also have bigger roster jobs to tackle, including rebuilding half their bullpen and finding help at first base and designated hitter.
With Soroka’s decision, Arizona’s offseason option picture is now complete. Corbin Burnes had already made his own call yesterday, opting in to the final four years of his six-year deal.
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