The San Diego Padres have converted relievers to starters successfully. Could a former starter-turned-reliever make the switch back successfully with San Diego?

With the San Diego Padres looking for rotation depth going into 2025, starting pitchers on the free-agent market represent a gamble.

However, A.J. Preller and his staff have shown an ability to get the best value on their free agent expenditures. The 2022 season saw Nick Martinez, and 2023 saw Seth Lugo. 

The 2025 season could see Michael Soroka. 

It’s easy to forget, but Michael Soroka was once a second-place Rookie of the Year finisher following a phenomenal rookie campaign in which he posted a 13-4 record, 2.68 ERA, and 142 strikeouts in 174.2 innings.

Despite the initial promise the right-hander showed in his rookie season, his career took a hit after three starts in 2020. Soroka suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in an attempt to cover first base on a double play. The injury ended his 2020 season, and an unfortunate re-tear of that same tendon during his rehab efforts cost him the subsequent two seasons.

After arduous rehabilitation, Soroka returned to the mound in 2023 for seven MLB games, and the rust showed. In those seven games (six starts), Soroka put up a 6.40 ERA (6.56 FIP) in 32.1 innings, with a 20% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. The Braves did not appear impressed with the results, sending Soroka away as a headliner in a six-player deal for left-hander Aaron Bummer from the White Sox. 

Looking at Soroka’s surface numbers with the White Sox, the picture isn’t pretty.

A ghastly 0-10 record, 4.74 ERA (4.95 FIP), and 1.38 WHIP give the impression of an ineffective pitcher. With Soroka, his 2024 season is a tale of two roles. Soroka began the 2024 season as a member of the White Sox rotation but was pummeled to the tune of a 6.39 ERA and 6.85 FIP in 43.2 innings.

However, when he was sent to the bullpen after his tough start, his season went uphill. Soroka pitched in 16 games out of the bullpen, throwing 36 innings with a much-improved 2.75 ERA (and nearly identical 2.80 FIP). Soroka walked 20 in those 36 innings but struck out a whopping six batters in the span. When looking at the numbers side-by-side, the results look as follows:

• As Starter: 6.39 ERA (6.85 FIP), 1.51 WHIP, 24 Walks, 24 Strikeouts, .252 BAA
• As Reliever: 2.75 ERA (2.80 FIP), 1.22 WHIP, 20 Walks, 60 Strikeouts, .189 BAA

So, if Soroka was so successful as a reliever, why would the Padres consider adding him as a starter?

The Padres have shown they can parlay strong relief efforts into consistent starting pitching. With Ruben Niebla and his staff officially back in the fold, the team can look to fortify Soroka’s strengths and weaknesses from 2024 for starting duty. 

Soroka’s sinker and changeup were a big reason for his struggles, as the pitches were tattooed for -4 run values and batting averages against of .321 and .289, respectively. And if that wasn’t enough, each pitch had expected batting averages that were higher than the BAA’s. With regard to movement, the sinker and changeup were average. 

The Padres have shown an ability to make pitchers’ stuff better in less than a year.

Looking back on Seth Lugo in 2023, the Padres turned his sinker from a -4 run value offering to a +10 pitch. The team did something similar with Michael Wacha, taking his 2022 four-seam fastball shape from a -9 run value to a +12 run value. The Padres’ staff under Ruben Niebla has shown an ability to help pitchers reinvent their changeups, and Soroka’s would be yet another project for the staff. Soroka rediscovering his changeup would lend well to a transition back to starting.

While a three-pitch mix might not be the easiest to work with as a starter (especially when considering the “third time through the order” penalty), a strong set of three pitches that can tunnel well off each other would be a great start. If Soroka and the Padres’ staff can also tinker with his sinker to even get it to 50% of its 2019 form (+13 run value), the team could have a renaissance on their hands. 

A.J. Preller and his staff have shown they can be creative when finding pitching depth, and a flier on Michael Soroka could pay dividends in 2025.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.