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The Pittsburgh Pirates reportedly signed two-time All-Star closer Gregory Soto on a one-year, $7.75 million deal on Tuesday. The deal will be made official after the 30-year-old's pending physical.
The Pirates added Soto to add versatility to the bullpen which predominantly featured right-handed relievers. Soto spend the second half of last season with the New York Mets after being traded by the Baltimore Orioles the trade deadline.
The Pirates, valued at $1.35 billion by Forbes, addressed the lack of a southpaw in their bullpen with Soto's signing, but the fans weren't too impressed.
"Pirates making more moves than the Yankees LOL."
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"They did want an ex Philly, too bad it’s an absolute bum😂😂😂"
"Traded at the deadline 100%"
"Couldn't sign with a Major League team apparently."
"They saw Soto from the Mets and jumped on it. Probably wondering why he was so cheap too."
"So what team is he gonna be on in August?"
Soto was signed by the Mets to shore up the bullpen last season. However, the two-time All-Star struggled in his stint with New York, posting a 4.50 ERA and 1.625 WHIP with 26 strikeouts across 25 outings as the Mets collapsed in the last two months of the season.
Pirates landed huge blow after Kyle Schwarber returns to Phillies on blockbuster deal
The Pirates' signing of Gregory Soto comes in the wake of the team's interest in power-hitting bats this offseason. After consecutive losing seasons, the Pirates reportedly prioritized offensive signings.
Pittsburgh reportedly offered a $100 million contract to Kyle Schwarber last week. However, the hard-hitting designated hitter signed a five-year, $150 million deal on Tuesday to return to the Philadelphia Phillies.
With Schwarber off the board, former New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso, former Boston Red Sox infielder Alex Bregman and former Houston Astros star Kyle Tucker remain the biggest names in free agency.
Meanwhile, the Pirates, who finished with the five worst record in baseball last season (71-91), got the No. 5 overall pick in Tuesday's 2026 MLB Draft Lottery. Pittsburgh had the third-best odds at getting the No. 1 pick but the Chicago White Sox won the No. 1 pick after finishing 60-102 last season.
