FLUSHING, N.Y. (AP) — Gregory Soto is headed back to the NL East after the New York Mets acquired him from Baltimore on Friday for two minor league pitchers.
Soto was with the Orioles for about a year after they acquired him from Philadelphia at last season's trade deadline. The 30-year-old reliever has a 3.96 ERA with 18 walks and 44 strikeouts in 45 appearances this season. The lefty has held left-handed batters to a .138 batting average.
He’s been even stingier in 21 games since June 4, with left-handed
batters 0 for 23.
The Mets sent right-handed pitchers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster to Baltimore for Soto. An All-Star in 2021 and 2022 with Detroit, Soto is 14-31 with a 4.24 ERA, 187 walks and 394 strikeouts in parts of seven major league seasons. He signed with Detroit in 2012 and is a native of the Dominican Republic.
Soto pitched for the Phillies in 2023 and part of 2024.
The last-place Orioles are going through a dreadfully disappointing season and have shown at least some willingness to sell before Thursday's trade deadline. They dealt reliever Bryan Baker to division rival Tampa Bay earlier this month for a draft pick.
Baltimore also had to put closer Félix Bautista on the injured list this week, which led to Soto closing out Thursday's win at Cleveland for his first save as an Oriole. He had a career-high 30 in 2022 for the Tigers.
“We're just trying to mix and match the best we can,” interim manager Tony Mansolino said following the trade. “I think as you kind of saw some roles formulate when we had Baker here — it was pretty much Seranthony (Domínguez) in the seventh, Baker in the eighth, Felix in the ninth, and then using Soto as kind of like a high-leverage lefty matchup guy, then using (Keegan) Akin as kind of like a bulk lefty guy. It's going to be hard to do that with how we're currently constructed.”
Soto can become a free agent after this season. He gives the Mets another lefty in the bullpen after Brooks Raley came off the injured list last week.
The Mets entered Friday with a half-game lead in the NL East over the Phillies.
The 20-year-old Aracena is 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA at Class A in 2025. He's one of two pitchers in Minor League Baseball this season to have thrown at least 60 innings without yielding a home run. MLB Pipeline had him ranked as the Mets' No. 19 prospect.
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