Arjun Nimmala is taking much of the sting out of Angels trading Jose Soriano away

When the Los Angeles sent Jose Soriano to the Blue Jays at the deadline, it was easy to have mixed emotions. Soriano is a 27-year-old who throws hard, and still has two years of team control after 2026. He looked like he had found his footing and was breaking out. They did get a legitimate top prospect in Arjun Nimmala, but Nimmala had been trying to break out for a few years since being a first-round pick in 2023.

For the Angels, it was a deal they would have to say yes to every time it’s offered, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting or that there isn’t a debate about it. But a few weeks after the deal, the debate has to be over. Nimmala has been the best player in the deal, and it’s not really close.

The headliner in the three-for-one deal has become appointment viewing for Rocket City fans. Add in that Soriano has been just okay for the Blue Jays, and the Angels can definitely celebrate this trade.

Arjun Nimmala's bat is making the decision to trade for him look easy

Nimmala was hitting well in the Blue Jays organization, slashing .279/.355/.451 in his first taste of Double-A at just 20 years old. One of his draws as a draft prospect and as a current big league prospect is his age relative to his peers. But in the Southern League with the Angels, he hit .260/.389/.577 in 126 plate appearances which you take no matter how young a guy is. 

Nimmala will have the chance to add to the lore in the playoffs starting this week, but he ended his regular season with a bang. Actually, he ended it with lots of bangs. Nimmala had two hits in each of his final five games, going 10 for 24 with four doubles and four home runs. On Thursday night, he had his first career multi-home run game. Add in three more home runs before this last series and he hit seven in September in just 11 games. 

His manager put it simply and best. The ball jumps off Nimmala's bat, and it’s to all fields. He’s shown he can hit the ball the other way and hit it hard. That’s a big part of why he’s such an impressive prospect and why people are salivating at getting the chance to see him do it in the big leagues sooner than later. 

When Nimmala was acquired, many had hoped he’d be heading to the Arizona Fall League. Jonathan Mayo floated the idea that a strong AFL could put him on the radar for a shot in the big leagues as soon as next season. That might seem aggressive for his age and the lack of minor league experience, but it’s what you hear when tools start showing up in games. 

Not to bash Soriano, but compare it to what he’s done there, and it’s not really close. Again, he’s been fine. He has a 4.05 ERA in 40 innings over seven starts. He has a 4.33 FIP, which is fine. But it’s a step back from what he was doing in Anaheim and what made him such an intriguing target for a trade by the Blue Jays. Soriano did say that it was a tough move, noting how long he’d been with the organization, but he was excited to go to a contender.

Toronto’s front office was confident he was someone they could develop further. General Manager Ross Atkins pointed to his great stuff, and manager John Schneider talked about more consistent strike-throwing. To be clear, they still have plenty of time to do that, with the offseason arguably a much more likely stepping stone. But that doesn’t change the fact that the Blue Jays are searching for the guy they hoped to get when they traded Nimmala. 

Soriano has two years of control after this year, so he has plenty of time to change course. As good as NImmala has been, AA isn’t the big leagues, so there is still plenty of development left for him. Prospects stall. Pitchers figure things out. We’ll see how it goes.

For now, in September, this is a pretty great trade for the Angels. They wanted a shortstop who could hit and hit for power, and they’ve gotten it. Nimmala has looked the part and then some. Soriano’s early numbers in Toronto make it even easier to love the deal, but Nimmala is doing so much that Soriano could be great, and it’d still be a good trade for the Angels. 

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