The Arizona Diamondbacks made a notable roster move on Friday, reaching an agreement with veteran right-hander on a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for an additional season. While the team did not publicly release the financial details of the contract, a source confirmed to MLB.com that He will earn $7.5 million guaranteed, with the opportunity to reach as much as $9.5 million through performance-based incentives. These bonuses give Soroka a chance to be rewarded if he fills a major role in Arizona’s pitching staff, something the organization clearly hopes he will do as they reshape the top of their rotation.
In order to clear space on the 40-man roster for their newest signing, the D-backs designated Bryce Jarvis for assignment. Jarvis, a former first-round pick, has shown flashes of potential, but the front office determined he was the most expendable option as they continue to prioritize immediate rotation help over long-term development projects.
The motivation behind signing Soroka became even clearer when considering the current state of Arizona’s pitching staff. Following the decision to trade Merrill Kelly at the Trade Deadline and the choice by Zac Gallen to decline the club’s qualifying offer, the Diamondbacks suddenly found themselves without their two most accomplished starting pitchers.
Kelly and Gallen had anchored the rotation for several seasons, and their simultaneous departures created two major voids at the top of the depth chart. Although Arizona has intriguing young arms developing in its Minor League system, the organization has made it clear that its goal is to return to postseason contention in 2026. Relying solely on inexperienced prospects to carry that load would be a risky approach, so the front office has been determined to add established big-league pitching.
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Soroka becomes the newest addition to a rotation that already includes Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, and Ryne Nelson. Rodriguez brings veteran stability, Pfaadt remains an ascending talent with postseason experience, and Nelson has shown improvement despite inconsistency.
The team believes Soroka’s upside, combined with the existing group, gives them a competitive foundation—though club officials openly acknowledge that they are not finished adding pitching. Even after completing the deal with Soroka, the D-backs fully intend to pursue additional starters to solidify the rotation and protect against injury risk.
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Financially, the Diamondbacks are navigating a transition period. Their 2025 Opening Day payroll reached a franchise record of roughly $195 million, a figure that ownership has signaled will be reduced heading into the 2026 season. Despite that expected decrease, general manager Mike Hazen has stressed that he will still be given enough financial flexibility to assemble a roster capable of competing for a playoff spot.
Hazen has also indicated the club is willing to explore significant trades to address the remaining pitching needs. That could include dealing top prospects or even considering offers for established players such as Ketel Marte, who remains one of the club’s most valuable and recognizable assets. The willingness to consider a Marte trade underscores the seriousness of Arizona’s commitment to strengthening the rotation and bullpen.
For Soroka, the 2025 campaign represented an important step forward in his career. He started 17 games and logged 89 2/3 innings, marking his heaviest workload since his breakout rookie year with the Atlanta Braves in 2019. That season, Soroka emerged as one of the most promising young pitchers in baseball, finishing with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts at just 21 years old. His performance earned him a spot in the National League All-Star Game, as well as a sixth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting and a runner-up finish for NL Rookie of the Year.
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However, Soroka’s ascent was derailed by devastating injuries. After tearing his right Achilles tendon, he endured a second tear during his recovery, causing him to miss both the 2021 and 2022 seasons. The extended absence raised questions about whether he would ever fully regain the form that once made him one of the sport’s brightest young arms.
In 2025, splitting time between the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs, Soroka—then 27 years old—showed signs that some of that prior promise was resurfacing. Although his final ERA of 4.52 did not jump off the page, deeper analytics suggested he pitched better than that number indicated.
Several Statcast metrics, including a 3.43 expected ERA (xERA) and a .210 expected batting average (xBA) against opposing hitters, hinted that poor luck and defensive shortcomings may have inflated his traditional stats. These underlying indicators helped convince Arizona that Soroka remains capable of being an above-average starter if he can build on his 2025 progress and continue to stay healthy.
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The 2025 season also saw Soroka traded midyear. The Nationals, who had signed him to a one-year, $9 million deal, dealt him to the Cubs in exchange for two Minor League players at the Trade Deadline. His early tenure in Chicago got off to a rocky start when he exited his first outing with the team after just two innings due to a shoulder strain, an injury that sidelined him for more than a month.
Once he returned from the injured list, the Cubs used him exclusively as a reliever down the stretch. In that role, Soroka thrived, making five regular-season appearances without allowing a single earned run. His success out of the bullpen demonstrated his ability to adapt and hinted at the possibility that he could still be effective in multiple roles—though the Diamondbacks are signing him with the intention of keeping him in the rotation.
Soroka’s performance with the Nationals was more uneven. While he made 16 starts for Washington, he frequently struggled to pitch deep into games. He completed six innings only four times, a sign that his durability and stamina were still works in progress after the long recovery from his Achilles injuries. Yet he continued to make strides with his pitch mix.
The standout pitch in Soroka’s four-pitch arsenal was his slurve, which proved extremely effective in generating swings and misses. Hitters produced just a .118 batting average and a .245 slugging percentage against the pitch, and it generated a 38.3% whiff rate, ranking it among the more deceptive breaking balls thrown by starters across the league.
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Complementing the slurve, Soroka also worked with a four-seam fastball, a changeup utilized primarily against left-handed hitters, and a sinker that he relied on more frequently versus right-handed batters. This combination allowed him to diversify his approach depending on the matchup, though the inconsistency in his fastball command sometimes limited his ability to fully leverage his offspeed strengths.
The 2025 season represented Soroka’s third year back at the MLB level following his long rehabilitation and his second full season in a big-league rotation since the injuries. His return to the Braves in 2023 resulted in a 6.40 ERA, and the organization traded him to the White Sox during the subsequent offseason.
His time in Chicago during the 2024 season was challenging as well: Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA over 25 games (nine starts), reflecting both his struggles and the volatility of a White Sox team undergoing major transition. After the season concluded, he became a free agent and signed with Washington for 2025, only to be traded again midyear to Chicago’s North Side.
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Now, with the Diamondbacks, Soroka has an opportunity to reestablish himself in a more stable environment. Arizona believes that his combination of experience, resilience, and remaining upside makes him a worthwhile addition, especially given the team’s urgent need for rotation help.
If he can stay healthy and build on the positive trends he showed in 2025—particularly the effectiveness of his slurve and the encouraging advanced metrics—he could become a key piece of the 2026 pitching staff. For a team in transition but still determined to compete, investing in Soroka represents both a calculated risk and a potential high-reward signing.
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