Cardinals get up-close look at ideal trade deadline target Jose Soriano
The St. Louis Cardinals will get an unusually convenient opportunity to scout one of their potential MLB trade deadline targets Monday night.
St. Louis opens a road series against the Los Angeles Angels at 10:05 p.m. ET, with right-hander Jose Soriano expected to take the mound for the home team. Soriano will be trying to quiet the Cardinals’ lineup, but his performance could also provide St. Louis executives with one more reason to pursue him before the Aug. 3 deadline.
The Cardinals entered Monday with a 51-47 record, leaving them firmly involved in the crowded National League wild-card race. Their position in the standings gives the front office a difficult decision: Make a meaningful addition to improve the rotation or hope the current group can survive the stretch run.
Soriano would offer St. Louis help now without becoming a short-term rental.
Jose Soriano fits what Cardinals need
Soriano is 8-6 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 115 strikeouts over 111 innings this season. Opponents are batting only .222 against him through 20 starts.
Those numbers would immediately strengthen a Cardinals rotation that entered the series with a combined 4.16 ERA. Michael McGreevy has been excellent, posting a 2.92 ERA over 19 starts. Kyle Leahy and Andre Pallante have also provided valuable innings. The rest of the rotation, however, has been far less dependable.
Dustin May owns a 4.78 ERA, while Matthew Liberatore has struggled to a 5.00 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. St. Louis needs another starter capable of missing bats and handling meaningful innings if it plans to remain in postseason contention
Soriano checks both boxes.
The 27-year-old averages approximately 97 mph with his fastball and has increased his strikeout rate to 9.3 per nine innings this season. He has also built a reputation for generating ground balls, an appealing skill for a Cardinals team that has historically emphasized infield defense and keeping the ball in the ballpark. His 53 walks show that command remains an issue. Still, Soriano’s combination of velocity, strikeouts and ground-ball production gives him the upside of a No. 2 or No. 3 starter.
Soriano would be more than a rental
The strongest argument for St. Louis pursuing Soriano is his contract status. Soriano remains under club control through the 2028 season, according to MLB.com. Acquiring him would therefore strengthen the rotation for the current playoff race while giving the Cardinals a controllable starter for the next two seasons
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