The Washington Nationals have swung their biggest trade so far, sending Michael Soroka to the Cubs for Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin
After a minor move this afternoon, Mike DeBartolo has swung a bigger trade tonight. He sent Michael Soroka to the Cubs for shortstop Ronny Cruz and outfielder Christian Franklin. The pair are the Cubs 13th and 14th ranked prospects.
Can confirm that the Nationals have traded Michael Soroka to the Chicago Cubs for two prospects — SS Ronny Cruz and OF Christian Franklin. @Ken_Rosenthal first on it.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) July 31, 2025
While Soroka did not put up the best surface level stats, he did a lot of intriguing things. He did a good job getting strikeouts and limiting walks. His expected ERA of 3.32 is well below his actual ERA of 4.87.
While his velocity has dipped in recent starts, the Nationals still managed to get a solid return for the 27 year old right hander. Batters are hitting just .124 against his slurve this year. That is something the Cubs saw and must have really liked.
On to the return itself, the highest upside piece in the trade is shortstop Ronny Cruz. The 18 year old has had a very interesting journey. He is from the Dominican Republic, but after a deal with a team fell through, he moved to America to play high school baseball and get adjusted to American life.
He ended up being drafted out of high school in the third round by the Cubs last year. Cruz is a raw talent, but has big time upside. He has massive power potential, but is still a project. Cruz is a ways away and far from a guarantee, but his upside is immense. Think of this as the hitter version of Alex Clemmey.
Franklin couldn’t be more different. He is a 25 year old outfielder who has been productive in AAA this year. Franklin feels slightly redundant with guys like Robert Hassell and Daylen Lile, but Mike DeBartolo must see something in him. He could be a big league player right now, but do the Nats have a spot for him. Does this make an Alex Call trade more likely.
We will break down the return more tomorrow, but this is solid value for Soroka. The right handers velocity is down and his surface level stats are mediocre, so nice job by Mike DeBartolo.