Cubs add depth to rotation by acquiring Michael Soroka from Nationals, AP source says
The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the trade was not official, said Washington received two minor leaguers: infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin.
An All-Star in 2019 with Atlanta, the 27-year-old Soroka is 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA this season for the Nationals, who signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract in the offseason. He should provide depth in the Cubs' rotation behind Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga.
The Canadian is 20-26 with a 3.91 ERA in six major league seasons. He
tore his right Achilles tendon
on a routine fielding play in 2020, then
injured the same tendon
while walking into Atlanta's ballpark the following year. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA last season for the Chicago White Sox.
The Cubs trail the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers by one game after beating them 10-3 earlier Wednesday. The Nationals are last in the NL East and
fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez
earlier this month.
The 18-year-old Cruz joins Washington's farm system after batting .270 this season for the Cubs' Rookie-level Arizona Complex League squad. The 25-year-old Franklin is batting .265 with eight homers this season for Triple-A Iowa.
___
AP MLB:
https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN ranks Atlanta Falcons coaching staff entering 2025 season
Falcons' coaching staff ranked among worst in the NFL by ESPN For the third consecutive year, the Atlanta Falcons will enter the season with a new defensive coordinator. Head coach Raheem Morris relieved Jimmy Lake of his duties following the team's late-season collapse, bringing in Jeff Ulbrich to call the defense in 2025. Offensively, Zac Robinson is back after an impressive first season as offensive coordinator. Atlanta's coaching staff has a wealth of experience at the head coach and defensive coordinator positions, an up-and-coming offensive play-caller, and an underrated special teams coordinator in Marquice Williams. So where does the Falcons' coaching staff rank among the 32 NFL teams ahead of the 2025 season? ESPN's Ben Solak listed Atlanta at No. 25 in his latest coaching staff rankings: This is a very strong candidate for "ranking that will most make me look dumb in a few months." Morris, Robinson, and Ulbrich have all been in charge of very successful units, very recently. Ulbrich was the defensive coordinator for a stellar Jets defense over the past few seasons, but now we have to see him away from Robert Saleh. Robinson showed good creativity in his first year away from the McVay incubator, but he could never solve the problems presented to him by Kirk Cousins' lack of mobility. -- Ben Solak, ESPN The Falcons had major ups and downs in 2024 but ultimately blew a chance to secure their first NFC South title since 2016. Michael Penix Jr. led the team to a win over the New York Giants in his first NFL start, putting Atlanta atop the division with two games left. Despite a promising performance from Penix the following week, the Falcons came up short in an overtime loss to the Washington Commanders. Atlanta nearly won the game in regulation but kicker Riley Patterson missed a 56-yard walk-off attempt. Morris was criticized for not using a timeout on that final drive and potentially costing the team a critical late-season win. Solak noted these time management issues in his coaching staff rankings: And then there's Morris, who I think is an excellent personnel manager and creative defensive mind on the chalkboard. But the game management last season was brutal. The timeout mistake against the Commanders drew the biggest headline, but there was another the following week against the Panthers. -- Ben Solak, ESPN Morris has to be better in this area going forward, however, the team's defensive shortcomings also played a major role. The Falcons defense gave up 74 combined points over the final two weeks of the season (37 points allowed per contest). This is what prompted the team to bring in Ulbrich, whose familiarity with Morris should work to Atlanta's benefit in 2025. With so many new faces, though, the defense could take some time to gel. On the bright side, the Falcons offense should be one of the better units in the NFL. For all of the criticisms, Morris did lead the team to its highest win total since 2017. It should be fun to see what this young Falcons team can do in Morris' second full season as head coach.
Washington Post
7 minutes ago
- Washington Post
After Terry McLaurin's trade request, NFL execs still expect him to stay
Around the NFL, the reaction to Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin's trade request amounted to a yawn. It may have placed a cloud over a season of unrestrained hope in Washington, but rival executives and agents expect the Commanders and McLaurin will ultimately bridge what remains a significant gulf.
San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cubs chairman says team's performance convinced him extending Hoyer's contract was right thing to do
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts came into the season thinking about extending president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer's contract. The team's performance convinced him it was the right thing to do. 'We went into the season thinking about an extension,' Ricketts said Friday. "I think the team was playing well enough that Jed had really proven he put a good ballclub on the field. I've always been comfortable with Jed. He makes good baseball decisions, and he's really built a good organization.' The Cubs agreed to a multiyear extension with the 51-year-old Hoyer on Monday. His contract was set to expire at the end of this season, his 14th with the Cubs. Hoyer was hired as general manager in 2011 and replaced Theo Epstein as president of baseball operations following the 2020 season. Led by breakout All-Star Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago was second in the NL Central and a game behind Milwaukee at 63-45 entering Friday's matchup against the Baltimore Orioles. It lost two of three at Milwaukee this week. The Cubs added depth to their lineup and pitching staff before the trade deadline. They acquired utility player Willi Castro from the rebuilding Minnesota Twins and veteran left-hander Taylor Rogers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. They also got right-handers Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals and Andrew Kittredge from Baltimore. 'I think the way he's methodically gone about developing the right players and bringing them up, looking for the right guys to add, being thoughtful about who he signs," Ricketts said. 'I think all those things have added up. He's had a good first four years. And then of course going into this season, when we got off to a great start, that just spoke to his decision-making and his judgment, and so we were confident a few weeks ago that an extension was the right thing to do.'
