The Blue Jays made José Soriano one of their biggest deadline bets for a night exactly like this.
Toronto will turn to the right-hander in Thursday’s series finale against the Cleveland Guardians, with the club sitting 1½ games back of Cleveland for the final American League Wild Card spot. The math is clear: win the game, win the series, and trim another game directly off the team standing in the way.
That’s why Soriano matters now. Toronto went out and got him from the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline, paying a steep price in No. 2 prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti, and right-hander Angel Rivero. The move came soon after the Blue Jays dealt longtime starter Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, and Soriano quickly slotted into a reshaped rotation with Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage.
The front office wasn’t only thinking about this season, either. Soriano is under team control through 2028, giving Toronto a pitcher who could stay in the mix for years. But Thursday is about the present, not the future.
Toronto enters at 69-71, while Cleveland is 70-69 and holding that 1½-game cushion over the Blue Jays, Texas, and Baltimore for the third AL Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays kept the series alive in emphatic fashion Wednesday night, blasting Cleveland 11-0 after dropping the opener 6-1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI, and Cease worked six scoreless innings.
Now the ball goes to Soriano, who brings an 11-7 record, a 3.45 ERA and 149 strikeouts into the start. Cleveland will send Tanner Bibee to the mound, and he comes in at 5-14 with a 3.88 ERA.
Toronto didn’t give up one of its best prospects just to add another arm. It made this move believing Soriano could help carry the team toward October. Thursday gives him the chance to show that belief was well placed.
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