photo: George Soriano (Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports)
The St. Louis Cardinals acquired right-handed pitcher George Soriano from the Washington Nationals for right-handed pitcher Andre Granillo.
St. Louis Cardinals release
The St. Louis Cardinals today (Tuesday, February 10) acquired right-handed pitcher George Soriano in a trade with the Washington Nationals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Andre Granillo.
Soriano, 26, was originally signed as an international free agent by the Miami Marlins in 2015 out of the Dominican Republic. The reliever has appeared in 72 games over the past three Major League seasons making one start and made one scoreless postseason appearance in the 2024 Wild Card round against the Phillies. He was on the Marlins Opening Day roster each of the past two seasons.
The San Pedro de Macoris native has compiled a 3-1 record with a 5.95 ERA striking out 117 batters over 118.0 innings pitched in his Major League career. He’s converted three saves and has two Holds. Inherited runners have been stranded at a 38.2 percent rate (34 inherited runners/13 scored).
Soriano held right-handed batters to a .229 batting average (56-245) as opposed to left-handers, who hit .294 (63-214).
During the recent 2025-26 off-season, Soriano was claimed three times off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles (11/5/25), Atlanta Braves (1/9/26) and most recently by the Washington Nationals on January 30.
Soriano is first cousins with seven-time Major League All-Star Alfonso Soriano, who played for the Yankees, Rangers, Cubs and Nationals.
Granillo, 25, made 14 appearances for the Cardinals in 2025 posting a 1-0 record with a 4.71 ERA and one save.
Soriano will report to Cardinals Major League Spring Training camp as a member of the 40-player roster.
Brian Walton’s take
One similarity between the two relief pitchers traded for one another is that they had good minor league success but are still looking for big league consistency. Soriano has had more time to try to figure it out, but neither are there yet.
Soriano is the epitome of the last pitcher on a 40-man roster, with St. Louis his fifth organization in the last three months. He throws his slider and changeup about one-third of the time each, with his fastball and sinker covering the rest.
Granillo was a home-grown Cardinal, selected in the 14th round of the 2021 draft.
Since Soriano is out of minor league options, which Granillo is not, the Cardinals had better be sure he can make the club and stick. Otherwise, Soriano will be back on waivers by the end of spring camp with the worst-case scenario that St. Louis received nothing for two option years and five total years of potential control of Granillo. The latter was TCN’s 35th-ranked Cardinals prospect for 2026 and was a 2025 International League All-Star.
With MLB service time of 1.095, Soriano could remain under team control for four more seasons, assuming his club will want to pay him after he becomes arbitration eligible in two more years.
At least the two players won’t have to travel far to join their new teams, with the Nats training in nearby West Palm Beach.
But, in this trade, the Cardinals have limited their post-camp roster flexibility. Among primary pen contenders, only Gordon Graceffo and Matt Svanson have minor league options remaining.
For roster and player information
The team rosters here at The Cardinal Nation are kept up to date daily. To access them, click on “ROSTERS/PLAYERS/MOVES” located on the red menu bar on the left of the page beneath The Cardinal Nation site logo.
To see the Cardinals’ entire system by level and position on one page along with every player transaction for every club all year long, check out the always current Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation. It is kept updated during the offseason and is accessible from the same menu as team rosters.
Exclusively for members of The Cardinal Nation
TCN 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect #46a – Colton Ledbetter
Not yet a member?
If you enjoyed this article, please consider joining The Cardinal Nation to receive the most comprehensive coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals from the majors through the entire minor league system, including access to every article in our 2026 Top Cardinals Prospects series.
Now available – 2026 Cardinals Prospect Guide
The Cardinal Nation Prospect Guide is back for its ninth year. It includes 275 pages of in-depth commentary about the very best St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguers, including over five dozen all-new player scouting reports by Kyle Reis. Order your PDF or spiral-bound printed book today.
All paid members can purchase our Prospect Guide PDF at 50% off. Thank you for your support of The Cardinal Nation!
Order The Cardinal Nation’s 2026 St. Louis Cardinals Prospect Guide
Brian Walton can be reached via email at brian@thecardinalnation.com. Follow Brian and The Cardinal Nation on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Bluesky.
© 2026 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.