This summer, an old Braves acquaintance could take on a new role.
As Mike Petriello of MLB.com explained, Michael Soroka, the reliever, might become a popular free agent, and one of the Braves’ opponents is interested. Mike Mayer writes that the Mets have expressed interest in the 27-year-old.
Soroka was traded to the White Sox last offseason in a six-player transaction that also sent veteran reliever Aaron Bummer to Atlanta. Soroka was out of alternatives and would never contribute to the Braves rotation. As difficult as it was to part ways with a fan favorite, there was no better option, and he seemed to need a change of scenery.
Unfortunately, his stay in Chicago did not go well. Soroka had an unappealing 6.75 ERA during nine starts, allowing opposition hitters to accumulate an.856 OPS. Granted, the White Sox were terrible and never aided him, but the pitcher once known as the Maple Maddux was a shell of himself.
In 2019, it appeared that he would never be the pitcher he once was with the Braves, but a shift to the bullpen and a change in approach helped him significantly. Soroka discovered something, resulting in a 2.75 ERA and 39% strikeout rate, which ranks among the greatest bullpen arms in the game.
“But when he switched to relief, the sinker decreased to 11%, while the four-seamer (43%) and slider (41%) took dominance. In the three September games, things really picked up: 55% four-seamers, 44% sliders, and one single changeup. He threw two pitches. The formerly prominent sinker? Nowhere to be found. “Not even one,” Petriello remarked of Soroka’s changes.
