PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with right-hander Michael Soroka on a $7.5 million, one-year deal, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal is pending a physical. The 28-year-o ld Soroka is expected to bolster the back of the Diamondbacks starting rotation. He was 3-8 with a 4.52 ERA last season, starting 16 games for the Washington Nationals before getting traded to the Chicago Cubs, where he pitched mostly out of the bullpen. Soroka’s first start in a Cubs uniform certainly didn’t play out as the front office had envisioned when he was acquired at the trade deadline. He landed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain after lasting just two innings a day earlier. Soroka made six appearances in all for the Cubs. A 2019 All-Star with the Atlanta Braves, Soroka was one of the game’s best young pitchers, finishing with a 13-4 record and a 2.68 ERA that season. But he tore his right Achilles twice — once in 2020 and again in 2021 — which kept him off the mound for more than two full seasons. With the White Sox in 2024, 16 of his 25 appearances came out of the bullpen, where he thrived (2.75 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 36 innings). ‘We thought it was right risk.’ Chicago Cubs’ trade deadline gamble on Michael Soroka not paying off so far. ...read more read less