Angels miss out as Diamondbacks reportedly nab former All Star pitcher on cheap deal

The Angels have been one of the hottest teams of the offseason thus far as they try to make enough upgrades to end their MLB-worst 11-year playoff drought. General manager Perry Minasian and owner Arte Moreno have made impactful moves already, both big and small. Trading Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez saved a good amount of money while upgrading a rotation in desperate need of it. They have found a promising arm on the waivers in addition to opening up their payroll by reportedly entering buyout negotiations with Anthony Rendon.

Nevertheless, the big signings expected of the team have yet to come. They have been attached to multiple free agent starters such as Zac Gallen and Michael King. And while they are going to be looking for an ace, they need to build out the back of their rotation as well as new signee Alek Monoah would likely be the fifth starter right now. And while there are a few reasons to be optimistic about the Monoah deal, the quest for starting pitchers cannot end, especially for starters with experience out of the bullpen.

Angels lose out on solid starter as Michael Soroka signs with Diamondbacks

The first move of Winter Meetings has taken place, as Michael Soroka and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a one-year, $7.5 million deal per multiple reports. Soroka enjoyed an outstanding start to his career, making the All Star Game in his rookie year as well as being in the race for both Rookie of the Year (finished second) and earning Cy Young votes (finished sixth). Since then, he has dealt with a number of injuries, most notably a torn Achilles tendon that cost him all of 2021 and 2022. He has not topped 100 innings pitched since then, but made strides towards regaining his old form in 2025.

Soroka discovered a new pitch prior to 2024, a slurve that has grown into one of the better weapons in the big leagues. Soroka uses his slurve alongside a more horizontal slider and a changeup to constantly keep batters guessing, and his breaking ball run value ranked in the 84th percentile of all pitchers (per Baseball Savant). Soroka's new pitch mix and a slight uptick in velocity over recent years has guided him back closer to the pitcher he was at the beginning of his career.

Soroka might be too much of an injury risk for the Angels, but for that little amount of money he would have been a good bet to make. While the Angels are searching for their new ace, Soroka is more qualified to be their fifth starter than any arm currently in the organization, including Monoah. Advanced stats point to strong growth from Soroka in 2025, and 2026 seems like the season the 28-year old might fully regain himself on the mound.