On February 10, the Cardinals made a reliever-for-reliever swap that took many by surprise, sending right-hander Andre Granillo to the Washington Nationals for righty George Soriano. What has perhaps proven to be even more surprising is just how crucial of a role Soriano has played in the Cardinals' bullpen.
The deal initially sparked a lot of questions. Soriano was coming off two tough seasons with the Miami Marlins (7.64 ERA, 66 IP) and had changed organizations three times already that offseason through waiver claims and subsequent designation for assignments. The Cardinals flipped Granillo, an up-and-coming reliever within their system who was excellent in Triple-A (1.29 ERA, 42 IP) and had flashed upside with the big league club. Granillo had multiple option years remaining, while Soriano had none.
And yet, the Cardinals' front office saw something in Soriano. They pounced on the opportunity to bring him in, then let their player development group get to work.
In 28 games this season, Soriano has posted a 3.08 ERA over 26 1/3 innings, and he’s gotten even more effective as he’s settled into his new home and the changes to his game. Over Soriano’s past 15 games, he’s allowed just three earned runs, becoming a trusted high-leverage arm for manager Oliver Marmol late in games.
The most significant change the Cardinals made upon acquiring Soriano was introducing a new pitch to his arsenal -- a “gyro slider,” which is a firmer breaking ball with tighter movement and less horizontal sweep than his traditional slider. It was meant to give him a new weapon against left-handed hitters, who had combined to slash .359/.419/.731 against him in 2025.
Since integrating this new slider into his arsenal, Soriano has held the 53 left-handed batters he’s faced to a .167/.245/.271 slash line.
Soriano already had a wipeout changeup that sat in the low-90s with a ton of break. It’s a pitch that could shut down left-handed hitters, but without other offerings to show them, it was far easier for left-handed hitters to sit on or spit on that pitch. Since adding his new slider, Soriano’s changeup has become virtually unhittable to lefties. He’s allowed one hit (a single) on that pitch this year.
In today’s environment, where platoon advantages are maximized to do damage against bullpens, Soriano is providing the Cardinals with a trusted arm who can handle whatever opposing managers throw at him.
Soriano has found new life in his own game since becoming a Cardinal, and he’s become the latest success story for the Cardinals’ revamped player development and performance departments. Those departments are often thought of for how they develop prospects, but consistent contenders also find ways to gain edges on their opponents by acquiring talent on the margins and getting the most out of them.
Most of the conversation on opportunity for young talent has been fixated on the Cardinals’ position player group and starting rotation. But Soriano may be carving out a role with St. Louis for the long term. At 27 years old, and with four more years of club control, Soriano may just turn himself from an easy-to-overlook February transaction into a core member of St. Louis’ bullpen.
Add that to the laundry list of pleasant surprises the Cardinals have seen this year.