One Blue Jays Trade Target That Could Help Both the Rotation and the Bullpen

The Blue Jays need pitching help. The current rotation is surviving, but Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt are racking up the innings, Eric Lauer seems too good to be true, and Max Scherzer is another injury waiting to happen. Toronto does not have —and could badly use—a quality sixth starter who would be ready to step up in case of injury, or if one of the current starters could just use another day of rest.

But the bullpen could use another arm too. Yimi Garcia, Ryan Burr and Nick Sandlin are all hurt (to varying degrees) and while Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher are pitching well, it is dangerous to have to rely on pitchers with only 120 major league innings (combined) in their careers.

What the Jays could really use is a quality swingman. Someone who has demonstrated the ability to work out of the bullpen in a high-leverage role, but who also can start games at the major league level. It would help if his trade cost were not that high. He could even be a rental, and possibly a player whose conventional stats were sufficiently cromulent to keep his price down, but whose advanced stats (and prior performance) gave reason for optimism.

Someone like Michael Soroka of the Nationals.

In 2024, Soroka pitched primarily out of the White Sox's bullpen. He had a 2.75 ERA in 36 innings, holding opponents to a .189/.303/.291 batting line. He also started nine games, but with an ugly 6.39 ERA over 44 innings. So far in 2025, Soroka has started 14 games with a 5.10 ERA over 72 innings.

So far, “The Rock” seems like a better-than-decent bullpen addition but a poor addition to the starting rotation. But a deeper look gives a different picture. Soroka’s 5.10 ERA comes with a 3.22 xERA, a 3.90 xFIP and a 3.57 SIERA. The difference of 1.88 between his ERA and his xERA is the third highest among pitchers with 150+ balls in play. So, he has either been very unlucky (possible) or the victim of, ahem, “unfortunate” defence (did I mention that Washington’s year-to-date DEF rating of -30.7 is the second worst in baseball?)

Even Soroka’s red flags are a potential fit for the Jays. He has a history of injuries, having only pitched 100 innings once in his six-year MLB career. So, if the Jays were looking for a 200+ inning workhorse, he might not be a good fit. But, as a swingman, he would likely not be asked to contribute too many innings over the remaining 62 games of the season, and he has only pitched 72 innings to date. Plus, he would slide beautifully into a bullpen role when (not if!) the Jays make the playoffs.

Soroka is a rental—he will be a free agent after this year. As a result (and in part due to his $9 million 2025 salary), his estimated Baseball Trade Value is only $3 million. So, the prospect cost should be something like an Emmanuel Bonilla or RJ Schreck. Good prospects, but not untouchable.

The beauty of landing a swingman like Soroka is that it does not limit the Jays in other moves. If, after they deal for him, the opportunity arises to trade for an Edward Cabrera or Mitch Keller, Toronto can just slide Soroka into a (still very valuable!) full-time, high-leverage bullpen role. And having a good swingman creates other opportunities. Maybe Gausman prefers to pitch on six days rest?  Maybe Scherzer should miss a start now and then to recharge his batteries? Maybe Bassitt is pitching better at home than on the road, and so would happily trade an away start for a SkyDome one?

There has been much speculation about the Jays pursuing a near-elite starter (like Keller) or reliever (like Bednar). But those players will be prohibitively expensive, and there is no guarantee that the Jays would ultimately be the highest bidders. Acquiring a player like Soroka, ideally early in the trade window over the next few days, provides Toronto with a backup plan, and reduces the urgency and desperation associated with additional trades.