Reliever that the Phillies traded who wanted out was never a good match
Even though Gregory Soto desired a new beginning, he will not be the closer in Baltimore.
After all the information was discovered, the Philadelphia Phillies’ final move on MLB trade deadline day seemed illogical at first, but it now makes perfect sense.
Once the Phillies acquired left-handed reliever Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox in a trade, southpaw Gregory Soto was promptly transferred to Baltimore to become one of the increasing number of former Phillies who are now Orioles.
In 2023, Soto joined the Phillies following two All-Star seasons as Detroit’s closer, during which he had 48 saves with a 3.34 ERA. Regretfully, he was never able to settle into a bullpen environment where he wasn’t the alpha dog. With a 4.42 ERA at the end of his Phillies career, he was 5-for-9 in save opportunities.
Gregory Soto, who wanted out, was never a good fit in the bullpen, the Phillies concede.
Soto’s presence in the Phillies bullpen was problematic since, well, he was never brought in to be the closer. The 29-year-old apparently took exception with the idea of being another versatile, high-leverage arm in the late innings.
As a Phillie, he had a terrible record of 35.9 percent strand rate and a 6.33 ERA in high-leverage situations, making him a questionable choice. This season, he had a strong run, but he struggled to deliver after supposedly requesting additional opportunities with significant risk. His 12.1 percent walk rate, which skyrocketed from a career-best 8.8 percent the previous year (he has a career walk rate of 12.2 percent, for context), was a major contributing factor to his issues.
According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Phillies head of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made it apparent following the trade deadline that he didn’t think Soto fit in the bullpen as it was put together.
Dombrowski stated, “We didn’t necessarily get him as a closer,” according to Zolecki. It’s okay that, in my opinion, he frequently sees himself as a closer. By all measures, he’s done well for us. We didn’t think poorly of him. He may not have been at ease in that aspect, though, given the way we use our “pen.”
