Toronto Blue Jays make massive trade with Angels that catches fans by surprise

The Toronto Blue Jays did a little buying to start off trade deadline day. 

While the expectation was that the Jays would be among the biggest sellers at the deadline, GM Ross Atkins threw a bit of a curveball to start the day off. Instead of shipping off another veteran on an expiring deal, the Blue Jays made a huge acquisition. 

Less than 24 hours after trading Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, Toronto swung a huge deal with the LA Angels to acquire pitcher José Soriano in exchange for top Blue Jays shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala as well as minor leaguers Eddie Micheletti and Angel Rivero. 

The 28-year-old Soriano is on a cheap, one-year, $2.9 million contract but is under team control through the 2028 season. 

OFFICIAL: We’ve acquired RHP José Soriano from the Angels in exchange for INF Arjun Nimmala, OF Eddie Micheletti Jr. and RHP Angel Rivero. pic.twitter.com/RlzDkCARbD

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 3, 2026

There were whispers heading into the deadline that the Blue Jays might do a bit of selling and buying, but there were doubts the team would actually follow through. The acquisition of Soriano proves that Toronto is serious about wanting to start the re-tool now rather than wait for the offseason to arrive. 

Soriano will come in as a sort of replacement for Gausman and is likely to slide behind both Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage in the starting rotation. Through 22 starts with the Angels this season, the six-foot-three right-hander has a 3.29 ERA, 127 strikeouts, and has allowed just 12 home runs in 123 innings of work. 

Losing a top prospect like Nimmala is a tough pill to swallow for the Jays, but they do have another encouraging prospect at the shortstop position in JoJo Parker who could help make that loss a little more manageable down the line. 

It's expected to be a busy day for the Jays moving forward, as they still have expiring veterans like George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Max Scherzer, Jeff Hoffman, and Shane Bieber who could be on the move.