Both the New York Mets and New York Yankees have been in the news lately regarding the trade market, and potentially addressing both teams’ dire needs ahead of the deadline. The Yankees acquired Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies earlier today, and the Mets pulled off a similar deal with the Baltimore Orioles for one of their better relievers.
The Mets find themselves in a strong divisional battle with the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. New York is currently 0.5 games up on Philly, but it’s bound to change at least a few more times over the last two months of the season.
Mets Pull Off Deal for Gregory Soto
According to the New York Mets’ X account, they have acquired left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two prospects, pitchers Wellingon Arecena and Cam Foster.
Certainly a good start to what should be an active week for the Mets. One of their weak spots over the last month or two has been the bullpen, and they could certainly use some reinforcements down the stretch. Soto is a quality southpaw who can strike out batters frequently.
Steve Adams of MLBtraderumors.com was also one of the first to break the news, and here is what he has to say about Soto’s upside:
“Armed with a four-seamer that averages 97.1 mph and a sinker thatâs sitting 96.7 mph, Soto can miss bats in bunches but struggles to command his sizzling repertoire. Heâs fanned 27.5% of his opponents this year but also issued walks at an 11.3% clip thatâs pretty well aligned with his career mark. Still, Soto has avoided too much damage from righties, and lefties may as well not even bother stepping into the box (.138/.271/.276). Heâll give a Mets club that has been focused on adding at least one lefty to its bullpen a potent weapon against divisional foes like Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.”
Soto has solid numbers this season, posting a 3.96 ERA over 36.1 innings pitched and 44 strikeouts. He was an All-Star back in 2021 and 2022 with the Detroit Tigers and has seen stints with the Phillies and Orioles.
What’s Next for the Mets?
Another good thing about Soto is that he’s on a one-year deal and is set to be a free agent this offseason. So the New York Mets can assess how he does in his tenure down the stretch with them, and then decide what to do from there. The only other lefty in the Mets bullpen is Brooks Raley, who has seen very limited innings this season due to injury.
This is expected to be just the first move of many for the Mets, who are on the World Series trail. They are built to win now, and with a savvy owner like Steve Cohen, who knows what their next move will be. They likely could still use some bullpen help, but may also want to think about acquiring a depth starter.
Regardless, they are clearly already addressing their top needs, which many called out for them to do. There’s still nearly a week before the deadline, so anything can happen.
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