WASHINGTON — Right-hander Michael Soroka agreed to a $9 million contract for the 2025 season with the Washington Nationals, who are in need of pitching as their rebuild continues.
They hope the 27-year-old Soroka, a National League All-Star selection in 2019, can show the form he displayed before a pair of significant leg injuries.
Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA in 79 2/3 innings across 25 appearances for the Chicago White Sox this past season, including nine starts. The White Sox finished 41-121, breaking Major League Baseball’s post-1900 record for losses in a season.
He represents the first noteworthy addition Washington general manager Mike Rizzo has made this offseason. The Nationals are coming off their second consecutive 71-91 record, as well as their fifth losing season in a row since winning the 2019 World Series. No players remain on Washington’s roster from that championship team.
Soroka went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA for the Atlanta Braves — one of the Nationals’ NL East Division rivals — in 2019, his first full season in the major leagues. He came in second behind New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso in NL rookie of the year voting and sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting.