Former Atlanta Braves All-Star Signs with NL East Rival

The former Braves righty looks to prove that his injuries are a thing of the past and be an effective member of Washington's rotation

A former Braves all-star looks to make an impact in Washington / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher Michael Soroka (better known in Atlanta as Mike) is returning to the National League East. According to Ken Rosenthal, he signed with the Washington Nationals. 

Free-agent RHP Mike Soroka in agreement with Nationals, source tells @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 19, 2024

The Nationals plan to use Soroka as a starter, according to MLB.com, which is what he's done for most of his career. 

The former Braves righty spent the 2024 season with the Chicago White Sox after being traded there last offseason. The Braves acquired reliever Aaron Bummer in exchange for Soroka, left-hander Jared Shuster, shortstop Braden Shewmake, infielder Nicky Lopez and right-hander Riley Gowens. 

It’s quite an unfortunate year to have arrived on the southside of Chicago, who lost 121 games - beating out the 1962 Mets for the most losses in the modern era (since 1901). 

In 25 appearances, nine of them starts, Soroka had a 4.74 ERA in 79 2/3 innings pitched. He also racked up 84 strikeouts and a 1.38 WHIP. 

He spent his entire career with the Braves up until he was traded. He was a first-round pick by the Braves in the 2015 MLB Draft. The Braves called him up in 2018 and he made five starts in the middle of the season. In those starts, he had a 3.51 ERA.

The following year, he had a standout rookie season. He finished 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, a 171 ERA+ and 142 strikeouts in 174 2/3 innings pitched. This performance earned him his lone All-Star nod, a second-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting and a sixth-place finish in the NL Cy Young voting. 

Soroka was named the Braves’ Opening Day starter for the 2020 COVID-shortened season, the youngest in team history. After three starts, he was out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon.  

He would spend 2021 and 2022 trying to recover from the injury, experiencing multiple setbacks and missing out on the Braves World Series run. 

Soroka finally made his return to the mound in 2023. He made seven appearances, six of them starts. He finished with a 6.40 ERA in 32 1/3 innings pitched. Toward the end of that season, Soroka was back on the Injured List with right shoulder inflammation. 

For this career, he has a 3.67 ERA in 69 appearances with 52 of those being starts. 

The injury bug has continued to get him. Even with the White Sox, he dealt with a right shoulder strain. The Nationals will be banking on getting the most out of him when healthy. 

The Washington Nationals finished 71-91 and in fourth in the NL East in 2024. A major component of their struggles was their starting rotation, which had a 4.40 ERA