The Chicago Cubs bolstered their pitching staff ahead of Thursday's trade deadline by adding right-handers Michael Soroka from the Washington Nationals and Andrew Kittredge from the Baltimore Orioles.
Washington received minor league infielder Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin in the Soroka trade announced Wednesday night. Baltimore got minor league infielder Wilfri De La Cruz in return for Kittredge in a trade announced Thursday.
An All-Star in 2019 with Atlanta, the 27-year-old Soroka is 3-8 with a 4.87 ERA this season for the Nationals, who signed him to a one-year, $9 million contract in the offseason. He should provide depth in the Cubs' rotation behind Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga.
The Canadian is 20-26 with a 3.91 ERA in six major league seasons. He tore his right Achilles tendon on a routine fielding play in 2020, and then injured the same tendon while walking into Atlanta’s ballpark the following year. He missed the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Soroka went 0-10 with a 4.74 ERA last season for the Chicago White Sox.
The 35-year-old Kittredge was an All-Star in 2021 and has a 3.44 ERA over nine seasons. The reliever has a 3.45 ERA in 31 games this season. He signed a $9 million, one-year deal with Baltimore last offseason that includes a $9 million club option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout.
The Cubs trail the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers by one game after beating them 10-3 earlier Wednesday. Chicago gave a contract extension on Monday to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has assembled an entertaining squad led by breakout star Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs have not won a playoff series since 2017, the year after they won their first World Series in 108 years.
The Nationals are last in the NL East and fired general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez earlier this month.
Soroka was pulled after allowing two runs in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday night at Houston as the Nationals shopped him. He has allowed three runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts.
Washington also dealt relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García to the Los Angeles Angels for prospects earlier Wednesday, and veterans Kyle Finnegan, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong are candidates to be traded before Thursday's deadline.
The 18-year-old Cruz joins Washington's farm system after batting .270 this season for the Cubs’ Rookie-level Arizona Complex League squad. The 25-year-old Franklin is batting .265 with eight homers this season for Triple-A Iowa.
The 17-year-old De La Cruz was one of Chicago's top international signings in 2025 as a switch-hitter with power potential. He was ranked the Cubs' 20th-best prospect by Baseball America prior to the trade.
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Ben Nuckols, The Associated Press
