Mets Trade for Orioles Reliever in First Move Ahead of Deadline

The Mets were in need of relief pitching after three of their relievers went on the IL this month.

Orioles relief pitcher Gregory Soto throws a pitch. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With six days before the MLB trade deadline, the New York Mets have landed on the board by trading for relief pitcher Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, SNY's Andy Martinio reported. ESPN's Jeff Passan confirmed the news.

Acquiring a relief pitcher was high on the list for the Mets' needs ahead of the deadline. Since the All-Star break, three of New York's relief pitchers—Max Kranick, Dedniel Nunez and Brandon Waddell—all landed on the injured list. Kranick and Waddell are on the 15-day IL, while Nunez is on the 60-day IL.

In order to hold on to their close NL East lead in the second half of the season, the Mets needed strong relief pitching. The Mets' 59–44 record puts them 0.5 games ahead of the Phillies as of Friday.

Soto has appeared in 45 games so far this season for the Orioles, posting a 3.96 ERA in that span. He's pitched 36.1 innings and struck out 44 batters. He's had 29 hits, 16 earned runs and two home runs hit on him.

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