SAN FRANCISCO — When Gregory Soto confronted the Mets proper earlier than the All-Star break in Baltimore, he hoped his opposition would pay attention to him. The left-handed reliever pitched 2/3 of an inning deliberately strolling one, and threw one inning with a strikeout two days later.
“When we faced them over there, I was a little bit more motivated to kind of show them what I was capable of doing so they could kind of see what I was able to do,” Soto mentioned this weekend at Oracle Park by a staff translator.
The Mets traded for him Thursday night time, sending two minor league pitchers again to Baltimore within the first commerce deadline deal of the month. Soto arrived in San Francisco to fulfill his new staff Saturday and was activated Sunday morning, with the membership designating left-hander Jose Castillo for task in a corresponding transaction.
“The way that they play the game, the culture that they have here — a lot of Latinos here as well — you just want to be here,” Soto mentioned. “This is a team that wants to win, and I want to win a championship.”
Soto has contended for championships the previous few seasons with the Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies. After being named to back-to-back All-Star groups with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and 2022, the veteran lefty was traded to the Phillies a number of months after the Mets’ NL East rivals made their World Collection run in 2023.
Final 12 months, he was concerned in a commerce between two contenders, which isn’t one thing that sometimes occurs this time of 12 months, however with the market the way in which it was for reduction pitching and with the Phillies having arms to spare, they despatched him to Baltimore for 2 high-level pitching prospects. It wasn’t a shock for the reason that two events had already mentioned a commerce.
In six playoff appearances between Philadelphia and Baltimore, Soto has posted a 4.91 ERA (two earned runs, 5 hits, three walks, 4 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings).
“That was something I expected at that point,” Soto mentioned. “We had already had conversations with [the Phillies] about a potential trade, but I felt good about [that experience]. I felt like I was able to take away a good experience.”
He’s hoping his half-season with the Mets is a fair higher expertise. Already, he’s conversant in some members of the staff and is happy to be part of a bullpen anchored by nearer Edwin Diaz. Soto needs to contribute and make an affect, and the Mets suppose he can try this along with his capability to get left-handed and right-handed hitters out.
Soto has held lefties to a .138 common this season. Righties have hit .276 off of him, with none hitting a house run. With the additions of Soto and Brooks Raley, the Mets now have two high-leverage left-handers within the bullpen, giving supervisor Carlos Mendoza the power to deploy them in numerous innings towards key elements of the lineup.
Everybody appears to have gotten what they wished out of the deal, particularly the 30-year-old Dominican reliever.
Initially Revealed: July 27, 2025 at 6:43 PM EDT
