What Trading for Jose Soriano Would Cost the Brewers

[Cory Sparks]

Image courtesy of Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The move that would make the Milwaukee Brewers’ rotation historic is taking a flyer on Detroit Tigers starter Tarik Skubal. While that would make the most waves of any Brewers trade since the team acquired CC Sabathia in 2008, there’s a reason that was such a significant move: it’s uncharacteristic for this team. 

The more realistic move is that the team bolsters the back end of the rotation. With the hope that Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison are both healthy and able to be the 1-2 punch, José Soriano would be a dynamic third piece in an already strong group of starters. Let’s do some cost analysis on the Angels starter.

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José Soriano, Angels

RHP  Age: 27 FA: Nov 2028 Sal: $2.9m

One of the hardest-throwing starters in the game, Soriano also gets tons of ground balls, because that triple-digit heater (the main one, anyway) is a very heavy sinker. He occasionally shows command of a plus splitter and a plus knuckle-curve, which allows him to strike out hitters at a healthy clip, in addition to the grounders and the sheer power of his profile. That’s the good news. The bad news is, he’s going to walk people, and you can’t be sure how well he’ll hold up to his current workload. He threw 169 innings last season, but that more than doubled his career total, and he’s on pace for over 180 in 2026. He started the season like gangbusters but has struggled of late. The list of guys with a higher ceiling who might be dealt this summer is very short. The list of guys with a better chance of being useful for a pennant contender is longer.

This season, the hard-throwing righty has a 9-6 record with a 3.29 earned run average and 127 punchouts in 123 innings. He’s been a consistent presence in the team’s rotation, already logging 22 starts. 

Soriano touts a five-pitch arsenal, leading with a high-octane sinker. The arm-side riding pitch is just a tick off of his four-seam fastball (96.4 miles per hour compared to 97.2) with more horizontal movement, tunneling well out of a relatively shallow arm angle of 34°. The velocity is great, but the other stuff is even more impressive.

Plenty of pitchers can throw hard, but how they get a hitter to react is the real key. Soriano checks off many of the right boxes, ranking in the 89th percentile for whiff rate (31.4%), 89th percentile for ground ball rate (52.3%) and 68th percentile for strikeout rate (24.9%). Between the sinker, curveball, four-seam fastball and splitter, the Angels’ ace uses all four options at least 19% of the time. His slider, which is his fifth pitch, is arguably the most devastating. Despite the small sample size, the offering has held hitters to a .188 batting average, not allowing an extra-base hit across 19 plate appearances. 

Reportedly, the Angels have prioritized acquiring a young catcher for either Soriano or Reid Detmers. In Jeferson Quero and Marco Dinges, the Brewers have two intriguing upper-level catching prospects whom they could offer as co-headliners in a deal. Soriano would probably cost them another of their top outfield or pitchiong prospects, too, but because he's controllable beyond this year, the electricity he would bring to the rotation would last. This move could position the team to contend more fiercely for a place in this year's World Series, but it would also bolster them during the next two campaigns. For that prize, it's worth paying a handsome price.

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[FartDad]

Quero + Coleman Crow + a lottery ticket might do it? 

Crow and Quero are essentially ready now but need big league playing time to continue their growth and it's not available on a contending Brewers team. 

[MattK]

Would love Soriano and he seems to make a lot of sense as a mid-rotation controllable guy. If Quero or Dinges plus Crow plus a lower level lottery ticket or two could be a real thing, that is dealing straight out of the system's depth in the way it should be utilized.

[CheezWizHed]

59 minutes ago, MattK said:

Would love Soriano and he seems to make a lot of sense as a mid-rotation controllable guy. If Quero or Dinges plus Crow plus a lower level lottery ticket or two could be a real thing, that is dealing straight out of the system's depth in the way it should be utilized.

Yes, I'd certainly do that if that is what the Angels wanted. Quero's arm doesn't seem to be bouncing back and AAA players are running wild on him (93 attempts, 16% CS).  

[harrydalton]

Looks to me like Quero is destined for 1B as long as he can continue hitting. But there is too much competition in this system there right now and in the near future. Sad . . .

[Brian]

1 hour ago, harrydalton said:

Looks to me like Quero is destined for 1B as long as he can continue hitting. But there is too much competition in this system there right now and in the near future. Sad . . .

Or DH but his minor league avg isn't even that great.  I would maybe trade him this off season. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Dinges, Quero......maybe Wood? The first two haven't been able to get behind the plate lately, hopefully that isn't a detriment to a deal because I'd definitely advocate doing something like this. Add a pitcher, and maybe an Anderson or Encarnacion from Wilson, or possibly a corner guy higher up in the food chain like Boeve, Wilkin, Adams or Bitonti. I'm bringing up some names that I'd definitely miss, but 2 years + of Soriano sounds awfully good to me.

[rickh150]

For this kind of arm with great results in 2026 and control for two more seasons after this one, I would tend to think the price would be high.... higher than Quero, Crow, and change.  I think we'd have to add another top 20 piece of ours since the bidding is driving up prices with all the teams desperate for starting pitching. 

[rickh150]

And I'd love a good pitcher back with control for a couple more seasons...not a rental.  

[jay87shot]

The Angels just gave away Silseth and O'Hoppe to the Rangers for a non top 30 prospect. I thought the Angels were going to be demanding outrageous prices but apparently not.

 

[wallus]

36 minutes ago, jay87shot said:

The Angels just gave away Silseth and O'Hoppe to the Rangers for a non top 30 prospect. I thought the Angels were going to be demanding outrageous prices but apparently not.

 

Fine, we'll part with Wilken for Detmers

[BrewCrew8675309]

7 hours ago, jay87shot said:

The Angels just gave away Silseth and O'Hoppe to the Rangers for a non top 30 prospect. I thought the Angels were going to be demanding outrageous prices but apparently not.

 

He will be top 30 for the Angels though...

[ChapelHeel66]

Soriano got off to a blazing start, but in the last 16 starts (almost 3/4 of his season so far) he's a guy with a WHIP of nearly 1.45, and most of the bad part of that WHIP is walks (4.5/9 IP).  He gets Whiffs at an elite level, but the walks leave his K%-BB% at 13.7%, which is pedestrian (and it's only 9.1% in his last four starts).  In his last 11 starts his Stuff+ has been above 95 only twice.  He looks to me like a guy who is fading.  I'm ok acquiring his arm because the Crew are going to need someone, and I'm ok parting with Quero because he needs a place to play and Dinges is an equally good prospect that can fill the gap.  I'm not ok throwing a stack of prospects to the Angels for Soriano.

Detmers, on the other hand, is above average on the walk side and well above average on the strikeout side (K%-BB% = 20.9% and 29.6%(!) in his last four starts).  He has basically been the same high quality pitcher all year long, but he is susceptible to giving up too many barrels.  However, I would rather put Chris Hook on getting Detmers to avoid barrels than having Chris try to improve Soriano's stuff and walk rate. 

Detmers is a much better pitcher than Soriano, but of course that also makes him more expensive. I can deal with Quero plus another prospect and a draft pick for Detmers.

They are both arb eligible next year -- and both are going to get a big raise -- but they are not FAs for a couple of years. 

[ChapelHeel66]

Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned that the Angels front office seems exceptionally subpar.  They are in a huge market and have never been able to build around the best player of his generation.  I think our boys can outsmart them.

[Harold Hutchison]

17 hours ago, Brian said:

Or DH but his minor league avg isn't even that great.  I would maybe trade him this off season. 

If the Brewers can lock down Contreras (MLB is talking about a salary floor, so a Contreras extension would help the Brewers, and keep a known quantity behind the plate), I could go along with including Quero in a deal.

Dinges is someone I'd hold on to, simply because his bat is better than Quero's, so he could be a right-handed option at first base, and it wouldn't hurt to see if he could handle left field or right field in a pinch.

[Brian]

18 hours ago, harrydalton said:

Looks to me like Quero is destined for 1B as long as he can continue hitting. But there is too much competition in this system there right now and in the near future. Sad . . .

Trade him to the Angels both of there catchers are hitting under .200 Then everyone wins. 

[Trax]

Quero and a 40 man prospect we need to move (Black or Rodrigues) is the most I would give for Soriano and that's plenty.

[CheezWizHed]

20 hours ago, harrydalton said:

Looks to me like Quero is destined for 1B as long as he can continue hitting. But there is too much competition in this system there right now and in the near future. Sad . . .

Quero doesn't hit enough to be a 1B.  If he can't get back to average CS rates, I don't see how he plays in the MLB. 

[Trax]

Being reported from some good sources the Brewers are trying (talking) to trade for Mason Miller. I think he's controllable through '29.

I mean, great get but what would we have to give for him? I don't like the answer.

[Jim French Stepstool]

32 minutes ago, Trax said:

Being reported from some good sources the Brewers are trying (talking) to trade for Mason Miller. I think he's controllable through '29.

I mean, great get but what would we have to give for him? I don't like the answer.

The Pads didn't blink an eye in unloading the majority of their top prospects over the last 5 yr or so. I would imagine they'd expect others to follow suit, especially for Miller.

[Trax]

8 minutes ago, Jim French Stepstool said:

The Pads didn't blink an eye in unloading the majority of their top prospects over the last 5 yr or so. I would imagine they'd expect others to follow suit, especially for Miller.

Would love Miller on the team but no way going to overpay.  Made off the table and a half dozen others near off.

[StearnsFTW]

8 hours ago, ChapelHeel66 said:

Soriano got off to a blazing start, but in the last 16 starts (almost 3/4 of his season so far) he's a guy with a WHIP of nearly 1.45, and most of the bad part of that WHIP is walks (4.5/9 IP).  He gets Whiffs at an elite level, but the walks leave his K%-BB% at 13.7%, which is pedestrian (and it's only 9.1% in his last four starts).  In his last 11 starts his Stuff+ has been above 95 only twice.  He looks to me like a guy who is fading.  I'm ok acquiring his arm because the Crew are going to need someone, and I'm ok parting with Quero because he needs a place to play and Dinges is an equally good prospect that can fill the gap.  I'm not ok throwing a stack of prospects to the Angels for Soriano.

Detmers, on the other hand, is above average on the walk side and well above average on the strikeout side (K%-BB% = 20.9% and 29.6%(!) in his last four starts).  He has basically been the same high quality pitcher all year long, but he is susceptible to giving up too many barrels.  However, I would rather put Chris Hook on getting Detmers to avoid barrels than having Chris try to improve Soriano's stuff and walk rate. 

Detmers is a much better pitcher than Soriano, but of course that also makes him more expensive. I can deal with Quero plus another prospect and a draft pick for Detmers.

They are both arb eligible next year -- and both are going to get a big raise -- but they are not FAs for a couple of years. 

Yep.  Thanks for explaining it better than I could have.

 

He started off like a house afire and has become himself recently.  I wouldn't be particularly interested personally.  I strongly prefer Detmers.

[long ball]

On 7/29/2026 at 12:24 PM, CheezWizHed said:

Yes, I'd certainly do that if that is what the Angels wanted. Quero's arm doesn't seem to be bouncing back and AAA players are running wild on him (93 attempts, 16% CS).  

TBF, minor leaguers in general are running wild. Freaking Blake Burke has 25 steals lol. That certainly isn’t going to translate to being a SB threat in the bigs. 
 

But I agree with the overall point that Quero is likely expendable. 

[CheezWizHed]

1 hour ago, long ball said:

TBF, minor leaguers in general are running wild. Freaking Blake Burke has 25 steals lol. That certainly isn’t going to translate to being a SB threat in the bigs. 
 

But I agree with the overall point that Quero is likely expendable. 

We need @sveumrules to invent a CS+ metric so we can see caught stealing rates against the league average. 😏

[wiguy94]

2 minutes ago, CheezWizHed said:

We need @sveumrules to invent a CS+ metric so we can see caught stealing rates against the league average. 😏

wSB pretty much does that. It has Burke at 1.6 runs above average this year. That is 12th best in our system this year (minimum 100 PA). O'Rae at 4.3 and Ebel at 4.1 lead the way and Andrew Fischer at -3.4 brings up the rear