The Pittsburgh Pirates have made another move in this pivotal offseason as they have signed left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to a one-year deal worth $7.75 million.
Soto has spent his time in the majors with the Tigers, Phillies, Orioles and most recently the Mets before becoming a free agent. Over that stretch he has built a reputation as a physically imposing, high-energy reliever who can take the ball in tough spots and handle pressure. He debuted in 2019 and has been used in all sorts of high leverage situations, including save opportunities, fireman innings and late-inning matchup spots.
Soto carries a career 4.26 ERA with 410 strikeouts and 56 saves. He earned All-Star selections in 2021 and 2022 with Detroit. His game has been built around power. His sinker sits in the mid to upper 90s and his slider in the high 80s has enough bite to miss barrels even when hitters guess right. He will flash a four seam fastball at times to change eye-levels. When he is commanding the zone he creates a tough angle for lefties and generates a lot of weak contact on the ground.
It’s also very possible that Soto takes on a lefty specialist role heading into 2026. In 2025, left handers slashed just .192/.280/.269 against him. Giving Don Kelly someone he can lean on and play matchups with late in the game will be massive for the 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates.
He will most likely slot behind Dennis Santana near the back end of the bullpen and should give the Pirates a reliable veteran presence who is comfortable pitching with traffic and in tight games. The biggest concern with Soto has always been his control since the walks can show up at the wrong time, but he also has stretches where everything comes together and he looks like a dominant late-inning arm.
Adding him gives the Pirates more depth, more swing-and-miss stuff and a lefty who has already pitched meaningful innings for multiple teams. It is the kind of move that raises both the floor and ceiling of the bullpen heading into the season.
This signing alongside the recent trade for Jhostynxon Garcia marks a solid start to improving this ball club. That said, there is still plenty of work to be done. The Pirates should continue building around these additions by adding more consistent bats and creating a deeper, more reliable bullpen beyond just one veteran lefty. Soto and Garcia provide a base of hope but sustaining a competitive club will require more moves, smart development and continued upgrades across the roster.
