For all of the successes the Atlanta Braves have had in recent years in developing young talent into big league contributors, few stories have been as heartbreaking as Michael Soroka. Coming off a 2019 season where he finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race thanks to a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts, many (including yours truly) thought that Soroka was going to be a big part of the Braves' future.
Fans know the rest of the story by now. A pair of Achilles' injuries robbed Soroka of not only a lot of time, but also of the raw stuff that made him one of the best young pitchers in baseball. Atlanta tried to get him right, but it just wasn't happening and the team ultimately parted ways with Soroka by including him in the Aaron Bummer trade.
However, a funny thing has happened. After a successful transition to the White Sox bullpen in 2024, some Braves fans hoped that Atlanta would target Soroka in free agency. That did not happen as Soroka signed with the division rival Nationals to be a starter again and now it looks like Soroka's career is officially on the rebound.
Michael Soroka, Wicked Sliders. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/kZauuzOB6v
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 26, 2024
Former Braves starter Michael Soroka is on the comeback trail and Braves fans are in their feelings
As gross as it is to see Soroka or any former Braves players for that matter play in a division rival's uniform (looking at you, too, AJ Minter), Soroka is just so hard to root against. His time in Atlanta didn't end through any fault of his own or because he was chasing a massive contract. Soroka just got dealt a brutal hand when it came to injuries and things just didn't work out.
That said, boy would it truly suck if Soroka finally got completely healthy and showed out for Washington this year. Not only would fans be left wondering what things would look like with a resurgent Soroka in the rotation, but it could complicate the Braves' path to another division title. A lot has to break the Nationals way in 2025, but they have a LOT of young talent on that roster including James Wood and Dylan Crews and they could be a sneaky dangerous team this year.
It is still early, but it looks like Soroka came into camp ready to roll. He threw three scoreless innings in his first outing and all of his stuff passed the eye test. One hopes he has a great season in Washington, finishes second in the Cy Young to Chris Sale/Spencer Schwellenbach/Spencer Strider, and then rejoins the Braves next offseason after Atlanta makes another deep playoff run. Not too much to ask, right?