The Nationals have announced that they are looking for a right-hander George Soriano without leaving the Braves. Atlanta picked him up earlier this week when they said José Suarez without compromise since the Orioles. To make room for Soriano today, Washington designated an infielder Tsung-Che Cheng by share.
Both players involved here have been on the DFA carousel this winter. Soriano finished the 2025 season with the Marlins but has gone to Baltimore, Atlanta and now Washington on waivers. Cheng has been with the Pirates for the past few months but has moved on to the Rays, Mets and Nationals via waiver wire. For those two and many others this winter, it seems that several teams are hoping to move the player on waivers, so keep him as random depth.
Soriano, 27 in March, has yet to find major league success. He pitched 118 innings for the Marlins over the past three years, allowing a 5.95 earned run average with a 22% strikeout rate, a 10.3% walk rate and a 38.7% ground ball rate. He completed his three optional years at that time.
But he just wrapped up a strong junior season. He threw 42 2/3 Triple-A innings last year with a 2.32 ERA. He struck out 28.8% of the batters he faced, issued walks at an 8.8% clip and induced grounders on 55.7% of balls. He averages 96 miles per hour with both his four-seamer and sinker while carrying a slider and changeup.
Teams are clearly impressed with Soriano but seem to prefer him to ride in a random spot. If he is placed on waivers at some point, he will not be eligible for free agency since he has less than three years of service and no previous employment.
Maybe the Nats will move him back down the stretch but he can use the arms. Washington’s bullpen had a 5.59 ERA last year, worst in the majors. They removed from the team during the trade Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners to catch Harry Ford. If Soriano can hold on to his roster spot, he could be controlled for five full seasons.
Cheng, 24, still has options left but his bid is borderline enough to keep him in the 40-man squad. He appears to have a decent floor as a speed and defense player. Throughout his minor league career, he played a number of three infield positions to the left of first base, often receiving positive reviews for his glovework. He was good for 20 steals a year and from the kids.
Bat is a lot of question. He hit well in Single-A but struggled at the higher levels. Over the last two years, he has a combined .217/.319/.312 batting line on the farm, which translates to an 81 wRC+. He was also sent to the plate seven times in the majors and had three no-hitters.
It looks like he has some concerns as a top ball player but not enough for any team to put him firmly in their plans. The Nats are likely to bring him back from waivers soon. DFA limbo can last up to a week but the waiver process takes 48 hours, so he should be back on the phone sometime in the next five days.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images
