The Diamondbacks will show interest in bringing Michael Soroka back in free agency, reports John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. The feeling is mutual, as the righty told reporters (including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports) he’d “absolutely love to return” after the Snakes were eliminated on the final day of the regular season.
Soroka had a strong first season in the desert. Signed to a one-year, $7.5MM free agent contract, Soroka pitched to a 3.41 earned run average across 22 appearances. The deal technically contains a $10MM mutual option for 2027, but the pitcher will easily decline that. He was second on the team with 114 strikeouts and paced their starting pitchers in strikeout rate (24.1%).
The Canadian-born hurler dealt with some injury issues, as he has throughout his career. He missed six weeks from late June to the start of August with a left glute strain. Arm inflammation in late August resulted in another minimal stay on the shelf. Soroka’s 116 innings were light for a starting pitcher but represented his heaviest workload since 2019.
That injury history is going to keep Soroka from securing a massive free agent payday. He should be in line for at least two and potentially three years, however, as he’s coming off one of the better platform seasons among mid-tier free agent starters. Soroka is still just 29 years old and has mid-rotation talent — if not the consistent durability to lock him in as a true #3 starter. He sits in the 93-94 mph range with a high-spin fastball and has an excellent low-80s breaking ball that gets a lot of whiffs. Soroka also added a new cutter as a fourth pitch this year.
The D-Backs will again be in the rotation market. It seems safe to assume they’ll let Zac Gallen walk on the heels of an ERA north of 6.00. Corbin Burnes has barely pitched for the last two seasons and ended the year on the shelf with a shoulder issue. He’s expected to avoid surgery but is something of a wild card. Merrill Kelly is coming off his worst season in Arizona, posting a near-5.00 ERA with a 16% strikeout rate.
Burnes and Kelly are under contract and figure to have Opening Day rotation spots if they’re healthy. Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez had strong ERAs with below-average strikeout stuff. Ryne Nelson underperformed and missed most of the second half to a partial flexor tear in his forearm. None of the Snakes’ returning starters missed bats at close to an average level. Only the Rockies had a lower team strikeout rate from their rotation overall.
It’d make sense for the D-Backs to add two starters, ideally pitchers with some swing-and-miss upside. Retaining Soroka would address one of those needs. The Snakes probably wouldn’t risk a qualifying offer that’s likely to land around $23.1MM. They could kick the tires on a multi-year deal at a lower annual salary but one that nevertheless gives Soroka a decent raise (e.g. $14-16MM annually).
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