Throughout his seven-year Major League career, Gregory Soto has shown he can pull off different looks. Sometimes, it’s a matter of appearance, like when he donned dyed orange hair while with the Tigers in 2021.
“I will try different colors this season for the Pirates,” Soto said Friday during a video conference via interpreter and assistant coach Stephen Morales. “You can write it down.”
Outside of hairstyles, Soto has also shown he can handle a variety of roles in a bullpen. A converted starter, Soto blossomed into a two-time American League All-Star in 2021 and ‘22, racking up 30 saves in the latter year. But he has also been effective in other late-inning roles or as a lefty specialist.
That flexibility is just what the Pirates’ bullpen needs. It’s why Soto became the first free agent Pittsburgh signed this offseason, inking him to a one-year, $7.75 million deal that was finalized Tuesday.
The most obvious need in the bullpen, though, was another left-handed reliever. Evan Sisk was the only other southpaw in the ‘pen at the time of the signing, and he has just 19 games of Major League experience. (The club has since acquired Mason Montgomery from the Rays in a three-team deal that sent Mike Burrows to the Astros.) The Pirates selected the contract of Tyler Samaniego earlier this offseason, but they sent him to Boston as part of the trade package for Jhostynxon Garcia.
Simply put, the Pirates needed a lefty, and Soto was one of their favorite targets this offseason. Given that the bullpen is also in flux with some high-leverage opportunities up for grabs, it seems safe to assume Soto will be deployed in a variety of situations and innings.
That’s more than fine with him.
“It really doesn't matter to me,” Soto said. “That's what I know to do, back end of the bullpen. Whatever role they need me to, I'll be ready, and I'll be more than happy to help the rest of the bullpen to win some games.”
That sounds like a recipe for success for the Pirates, assuming Soto is able to rebound after a few down years.
Soto pitched to a 4.18 ERA over 70 appearances last year, striking out 70 over 60 1/3 innings. While he was able to handle left-handed hitters as well as ever – holding them to a .192 batting average and a .549 OPS – right-handers succeeded against him, recording a .307 batting average and an .801 OPS.
The Pirates can play matchups and put Soto in more favorable situations, but he is going to need to fare better against right-handers. Soto’s sinker-slider combo that he has relied on for most of his career still grades out positively, especially the slider, which held batters to a .156 batting average with a 45.5% whiff rate. So there is reason to be optimistic that he can bounce back.
Soto also is reflecting back on the year that was to try to get back to his All-Star form.
“Definitely will learn from situations from last year,” Soto said. “Maybe the season did not end like I wanted it to last year, but one thing for sure – I’m going to be positive, go back at it again and try to be available for my team every time.”
Time will tell if Soto is able to bounce back in 2026. Until we get that answer, he’s looking forward to making an impact with his new club.
“What I saw, why I chose the Pirates for the job, is I saw a lot of young, talented pitchers and players on a young, talented team,” Soto said. “I love to do that. I love the competition. I think I'm a good fit [for] the Pirates."