Pirates Secure Gregory Soto: Left-Handed Bullpen Reinforcement for $7.75M

ORLANDO, Florida. The Pittsburgh Pirates have begun their moves in free agency, focusing on strengthening their bullpen. According to sources, the team has reached an agreement with left-handed pitcher Gregory Soto for a one-year contract of $7.75 million, subject to a medical review. Although the official announcement has not yet been made, this acquisition represents an important step for the Pirates, who are looking to reinforce their bullpen.

A Key Lefty for the Bullpen

Soto, 30 years old, brings a valuable left-handed presence to the team, an urgent need for the Pirates. Last season, the Dominican had a 1-5 record and a 4.18 ERA in 70 appearances between the Orioles and the Mets, accumulating 60.1 innings of work. Despite his effectiveness having surpassed 4.00 earned runs in the last three campaigns, his statistics reveal a more promising picture. In 2025, he limited batters to a barrel rate of 4% (97th percentile), achieved a 31.5% out-of-zone swing rate, a 29.9% whiff rate, and a total of 70 strikeouts, for a solid strikeout rate of 25.1%.

Differentiated Performance

One of Soto’s most notable differences in 2025 was his performance by batter type:

• Right-handed hitters posted an OPS of .801.
• Left-handed hitters barely hit .192 with an OPS of .549.

His repertoire includes a sinker that ranges from 90-95 mph, an effective slider with a 45.5% whiff rate, as well as a four-seam fastball and a sweeper. Although opponents hit .314 against his sinker in 2025, the average was .200 in 2023, despite the fact that the pitch movement is similar.

Strategic Reinforcement

The arrival of Soto comes after the Pirates were unable to finalize the signing of Kyle Schwarber, which freed up resources to address other areas. The addition of an experienced lefty is strategic, given that three of the most important relievers in the bullpen (Dennis Santana, Isaac Mattson, and Justin Lawrence) are right-handed. The team had recently added left-hander Tyler Samaniego to the roster, but he was sent to Boston in a trade for Venezuelan Jhostynxon García. The Pittsburgh bullpen has changed significantly since the start of the 2025 season. Closer David Bednar and setup man Colin Holderman are no longer on the team, while youngsters Brandan Bidois and Ryan Harbin have been added to the roster. The final bullpen structure for 2026 is still to be defined, but Soto is emerging as a key piece. The current Pirates roster has 39 players, so they could select a player in Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft.