The baseball world was collectively shocked when it was the Blue Jays who were the team to land Jose Soriano in a trade with the Angels. The move makes sense if you consider that Toronto is planning for the future, even if their 2026 season is in the toilet. However, it is still true that few saw the move coming from the Blue Jays, and the Atlanta Braves may have just lost out on a fantastic trade target.
In a market that is lacking in starting pitching with upside, Soriano stood out as a potential frontline starter with ample team control remaining. The Braves were thought to be involved in Soriano's market, but now that he is off the table, Atlanta may be running out of viable options to add the playoff-caliber starter that they have been seeking.
Braves just lost a top trade deadline option in Jose Soriano, so they must act now or they will get left behind
This is the time of year when the bold are often rewarded, and Toronto should be commended for taking advantage of the opportunity that presented itself. However, for a Braves team that was already hurting for quality rotation options at the trade deadline, this is a real punch in the gut.
With the Blue Jays' surprise entry into the starter market, not only do the Braves have the same number of competitors for the few available arms as they did before the trade, but the supply just took a big hit. Even if Alex Anthopoulos had already decided that the price tag for Soriano was too high, the move still creates some problems for the Braves.
Now is the time for the Braves to act before the rotation market gets any thinner. There were already rumors that Jacob deGrom could be an option (although figuring out the money there would be tough), and Casey Mize, in theory, is still available as well. The one thing the Braves cannot afford to do is wait too long, because the market is moving fast now, and there may be nothing worth having left soon.
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