The New York Mets’ bullpen has been solid, but there is room for the group to improve. Injuries have created a need for the team to address at the trade deadline.
The injuries to A.J. Minter and Danny Young have left the Mets with Richard Lovelady and Brandon Waddell as the only lefties in the bullpen. FanSided’s Noah Wright suggested the Mets could trade for Gregory Soto of the Baltimore Orioles to give Carlos Mendoza another southpaw in the bullpen.
“Soto has always been good at limiting quality contact,” wrote Wright. “However, his 2.5% barrel rate is the best of his career, by a mile. His previous career-low was higher by over double. Soto had a 5.6% barrel rate in 2023. He is only in the 20th percentile of exit velocity at 90.6 MPH, but is in the 66th percentile of ground ball percentage at 45.7%. His microscopic barrel percentage has helped him put up a 0.57 HR/9.”
Soto is a two-time All-Star, but his numbers this season are not the best. He has a 3.90 ERA and has walked 15 batters in 32 1/3 innings of work. However, his advanced metrics paint a different picture.
“While Soto’s ERA is approaching 4.00, his ERA estimators put him in a much brighter light,” wrote Wright. “He is in the 75th percentile of xERA at 3.23. xFIP pins him at 3.49, while SIERA is the most bullish underlying metric, at 3.20. While Soto induces poor contact like Milner, he does it in a much different way. Soto’s sinker averages out at 96.6 MPH, and is in the top 86th percentile of fastball velocity. His slider induces an impressive 48.4% whiff rate, which is the 11th highest among all sliders.”
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Soto is going to be a free agent after the season, and the Orioles seem poised to be sellers. He could be a cheap addition for the Mets as they search for left-handed relief options.
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