The New York Mets have just added a lethal lefty weapon to their bullpen. Welcome aboard, Soto 2.0— Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles. In exchange, the Orioles picked two elite right-handers — Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster. While Aracena and Cameron are expected to shape the future of the Orioles’ rotation, doubts are already beginning to surface about the new arm on the roster.
By the end of May, the Mets’ bullpen was placed in second place in MLB with a 2.78 ERA. However, since the beginning of June, with a 5.02 ERA, the Mets were placed at the 27th rank. Well, that’s the reason why it appeared logical to acquire Gregory Soto. Also, he won’t be the only closer the Mets will acquire! But for now,n is Soto the upgrade the Mets required, or was it just a desperate move?
It was brought to attention by ESPN insiders Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield. You see, Soto has a lot to offer. His fastball spikes to an incredible 97 mph, and left-handed batters are usually hitting only .138 against him this season. Only one small and noteworthy concern would be that two of the eight hits have been home runs.
Credits: mlb.com
Another considerable factor is that his control hasn’t been the best. Per nine innings, he averages 4.5 walks, which is troubling, especially in a high-stakes game. So, as it seems, Soto might be a good acquisition in lefty matchups, but overall, he doesn’t appear to be very reliable, given his numbers. Well, the Mets did what they had to do.
They have been missing a reliable lefty reliever throughout this season. Their last off-season acquisition, A.J. Minter, is out for the year as he recovers from the season-ending surgery for his torn lat muscle. They also got Brooks Raley back from the sidelines, which is great, but they still required another reliable lefty arm, which led them to acquire Soto.
Even though Soto’s acquisition is being doubted, this move displays the Mets’ strategy ahead of the playoffs. Plus, David Stearns (Mets’ president of baseball operations) has always had a firm stance about this trade. “We’ve had off-and-on discussions with Baltimore for the past few weeks. As is generally the case with any trade, you go through a whole lot of different names and a whole lot of different constructs, and late last night we were able to get to this deal,” he said.
The team needs to prepare to go against teams such as the Phillies, who have Bryce Harper and Kyle Tucker. Also, at some point, they will face Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman from the Dodgers. It’s not an easy feat to go against these phenoms. So, of course, the Mets had to make the Soto move to think ahead to the playoffs. Let’s see what Soto’s new teammates think about him.
Mets’ Francisco Lindor opens up on the Soto trade.
As the Mets stay locked in a tight division race, it is their top priority to add a reliable arm in the bullpen. And for the same, they acted swiftly and added Gregory Soto to the mix.
He’s a two-time all-star and is widely known for his high-velocity pitches. He can handle the late-inning pressure, as he holds a 3.96 ERA with 44 strikeouts across 36.1 innings. The right-handed batters have recorded a .371 OBP against his pitches. So, he hasn’t always been reliable, and maybe that is why the Orioles haven’t used him much in high-leverage games lately.
On Friday night, the Mets went up against the San Francisco Giants and notched an 8-1 win. After the game, veteran shortstop Francisco Lindor expressed his thoughts on Soto’s acquisition. Overall, Lindor appreciated the move and displayed confidence in Soto 2.0’s future in Queens.
“I feel like he’s one of the most elite left-handers in the game. With [Jeremy Hefner] and [Desi Druschel] here, I’m sure he’s going to learn a lot and get back to being the top pitcher that he is.”
Lindor’s comments reflected his trust in the Mets’ leadership and coaching staff. If Soto eventually finds his rhythm, this trade will prove to be a success.
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