December 21, 2025

By Kevin Glew

Canadian Baseball Network

Some Canadian baseball news and notes:

Soroka signed with the D-Backs to start

On Tuesday, right-hander Michael Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) said on the Foul Territory podcast that he signed his one-year, $7.5 contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks to be a starting pitcher.

The 28-year-old ended last season in the bullpen with the Chicago Cubs.

“This is a year that I need to be able to bet on things,” Soroka said. “Ultimately, the total dollar didn’t really matter. When it really came down to it, it was about finding the right situation for me and finding a place that I can really thrive.

“This is a year that I need to be able to go out there and prove to myself, not just everybody else, that I can go out there and throw 180 innings again. That’s something that I’m still very capable of.”

The Diamondbacks will be the fifth major league team Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) has suited up for during his big league career. He spent parts of four seasons with the Atlanta Braves to begin his major league career before being dealt to the Chicago White Sox in November 2023. Following one season with the Sox, the 6-foot-5 righty signed with the Washington Nationals and made 16 starts for them prior to being traded to the Cubs at the deadline last July.

In 2025 with the Nationals, Soroka posted a 3-8 record and a 4.87 ERA, while striking out 87 batters in 81 1/3 innings. He then made one start with the Cubs before suffering a shoulder strain which sidelined him for almost six weeks. Upon his return, the Cubs used him exclusively as a reliever.

A graduate of the Calgary Redbirds and the Junior National Team, Soroka was a first-round pick (28th overall) of the Braves in 2015. In 2019, he went 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 29 starts to win the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award and finish second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Between 2020 and 2023, however, his career was curtailed by a series of injuries, most notably he tore his right Achilles tendon twice.

Toro signs with Royals

Infielder Abraham Toro has signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals.

Daniel Álvarez-Montes, of El Extrabase, was the first to report the transaction, which includes an invite to big league spring training.

The versatile Toro (Longueuil, Que.), who turned 30 on Saturday, was a valuable contributor for the Boston Red Sox for much of the 2025 season. In 77 games, he batted .239 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs. He had 62 hits – including 13 doubles – and 33 runs.

He spent the rest of the season with triple-A Worcester where he hit .272 with eight home runs and recorded an .839 OPS in 51 games.

In 2024, he batted .240 with six home runs and 26 RBIs in 94 games with the Oakland A’s.

In total, Toro has played in parts of seven major league campaigns with the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, A’s and Red Sox. He owns a .223 batting average and has 41 home runs in 442 major league contests.

Bowman named Pirates’ major league field coordinator

Shawn Bowman (New Westminster, B.C.) has been promoted to the position of major league field coordinator of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 2025, Bowman guided the Pirates’ triple-A Indianapolis Indians to a 64-45 record after taking over as the club’s bench boss in mid-May. Bowman had been serving as the Pirates’ minor league field coordinator and assistant director of coaching when he got the skipper’s job in Indianapolis.

The 40-year-old Bowman just completed his seventh year in the Pirates’ organization.

Prior to joining the Pirates, Bowman helped coach the Junior National team (2013 to 2017) and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (2015 to 2017).

As a player, he was selected by the Mets in the 12th round of the 2002 MLB draft and spent 10 seasons as an infielder in the affiliated minor league ranks. He also played for the Canadian national team from 2009 to 2012 and was a part of the team that captured gold at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

Peters traded to White Sox

The Tampa Bay Rays traded outfielder Tristan Peters to the White Sox on Thursday for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Peters (Winkler, Man.) was designated for assignment by the Rays on Tuesday after the club signed left-hander Steven Matz to a two-year, $15-million contract.

The White Sox will be Peters’ fourth major league organization.

Thanks to his defensive heroics in the outfield with the Rays’ triple-A Durham Bulls, Peters became a regular on the minor league highlight reels in 2025.

He was also a strong contributor at the plate for the Bulls, hitting .266 with a .355 on-base percentage with 15 home runs, 76 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. For his efforts, he was named the Bulls’ MVP.

The Canuck outfielder also made his big league debut with the Rays in 2025, getting into four games with them in August.

The 2025 season was Peters’ third in the Rays’ system after being acquired from the San Francisco Giants.

He was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent parts of two seasons in the Brewers’ organization prior to being traded to the Giants.

Peters, 25, will compete for a spot on the White Sox Opening Day roster this spring.

Happy 68th Birthday to Tom Henke!

Former Toronto Blue Jays closer and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tom Henke turns 68 today.

Happy Birthday to him!

My hope is that during the Blue Jays’ upcoming 50th season that they will finally honour Henke (who wore No. 50) on their Level of Excellence.

Here’s a short summary of why Henke is worthy of that honour:

Who is Logan Allen?

Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi spoke with Canadian national teams director Greg Hamilton about the 2026 World Baseball Classic roster for an article that was published on Tuesday.

I recognized all of the players Hamilton mentioned that were on board except for one — a left-handed pitcher named Logan Allen.

Fortunately, Bob Elliott was similarly curious and he tracked down Allen to find out more about the southpaw’s background. Allen shared in this Canadian Baseball Network article that his father, Norman, grew up and played hockey in Lachine, Que., before attending the University of Florida.

Allen wasn’t aware he was eligible to pitch for Canada until he spoke with Rowan Wick (North Vancouver, B.C.) who was his roommate with the San Diego Padres’ double-A San Antonio Missions in 2018.

Allen has since pitched in parts of five major league seasons with the Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Baltimore Orioles and Diamondbacks. In 2025, he made 31 starts for the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization.

He hopes to return to the major leagues in 2026.

“I told teams I won’t sign with anyone unless they allow me to pitch for Canada in the World Baseball Classic,” Allen told Elliott. “I’m not going back to Korea. We’re looking at a couple options. I don’t think pitching in the WBC will hurt me. If anything teams that are interested would like to see me on the bigger stage compared to a spring training game.”

Baseball Canada honours McFarland

Congratulations to Alberta baseball writer and podcaster Joe McFarland on being named the winner of Baseball Canada’s Bob Elliott Media Recognition Award.

McFarland and his business partner Ian Wilson are the masterminds behind the excellent Alberta Dugout Stories and Saskatchewan Dugout Stories websites.

“McFarland is being honoured for his exceptional contributions to Canadian baseball storytelling through his work with Alberta Dugout Stories, a platform documenting the game from grassroots levels up to the professional ranks across Alberta and Canada,” said Baseball Canada in their release announcing the award. “Through his must-listen podcasts and interviews, compelling writing, feature stories and in-depth profiles, he has brought visibility to players, teams, and communities often underrepresented in mainstream coverage.”

The Bob Elliott Media Recognition Award has been handed out by Baseball Canada since 2020. Previous winners include Mike Wilner, Alexis Brudnicki, Shi Davidi and Benoit Rioux.

Twenty-five years ago, Raines re-signed with Expos

It was 25 years ago today that a 41-year-old Tim Raines re-signed with the Montreal Expos.

The Hall of Fame outfielder proceeded to bat .308 and post a .433 on-base percentage in 47 games with the club in 2001. He had previously played parts of 12 seasons with the Expos from 1979 to 1990.

Rest in peace, Mike Campbell

Former Seattle Mariners and Calgary Cannons right-hander Mike Campbell died on Monday at the age of 61.

He passed away in his home in Kirkland, Wash. A cause of death has not been released.

Campbell pitched in three seasons with the Mariners from 1987 to 1989, posting an 8-16 record and a 5.74 ERA in 34 games, but Canadian baseball fans will best remember him for his tenure with the triple-A Calgary Cannons. With the Cannons in 1987, he went 15-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 24 games (23 starts). He tossed four complete games and fanned 130 batters in 162 2/3 innings. For his performance, he was named Pacific Coast League MVP.

In 1989, Campbell was dealt to the Montreal Expos as the player to be named later in the deal in which the M’s acquired Randy Johnson. Campbell spent spring training with the Expos in 1990 prior to being dealt to the White Sox, where he toed the rubber with their triple-A affiliate in Vancouver.

Campbell later had big league stints with the Texas Rangers (1992), Padres (1994) and Cubs (1996).

Ex-Jays on Padres’ 2026 coaching staff

I noted last week that former Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins was going to be the infield coach under Padres’ new manager Craig Stammen in 2026. It turns out that he won’t be the only ex-Jay on the Padres’ staff.

Former Blue Jays catcher Randy Knorr will be Stammen’s bench coach, while onetime Jays utility player Mike McCoy will be an assistant hitting instructor.

Former Montreal Expos catcher Bob Henley will be the club’s third base coach.

Celebration of Life details announced for Harkness

Former big leaguer and ex-Toronto Maple Leafs (Intercounty Baseball League) head coach Tim Harkness died on November 27 at the age of 87.

I wrote an obituary about him here.

The details for his Celebration of Life were released earlier this week:

BWDIK: Bowman, Henke, Peters, Raines, Soroka, Toro