Re-Signing Gregory Soto Makes Sense for Pirates
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have to make sure their bullpen is the best it can be for next season and that means making tough and bold decisions this offseason.
One player who could come back into the Pirates' bullpen is left-handed relief pitcher Gregory Soto, who spent the 2026 season with the team.
Soto is once again a free agent after he signed a one-year, $7.75 million deal last offseason and will look around to see where he wants to play in 2027.
The Pirates need his type of profile in their bullpen, and it makes sense if they bring Soto back for next season, especially if the price is right.
What Makes Soto a Strong Bullpen Option for the Pirates
Soto had a strong year for the Pirates, despite some struggles, playing an important role in the bullpen.
He posted a 6-5 record in 69 appearances, 16 saves in 22 opportunities, a 3.63 ERA over 67 innings, 79 strikeouts to 29 walks, a .199 BAA and a 1.16 WHIP.
It was one of the best years of Soto's career, aside from his back-to-back All-Star nods in 2021 and 2022, with the most innings pitched and strikeouts, second-lowest WHIP, third-lowest BB/9 (3/9), H/9 (6.6), ERA and BAA and third-best K/BB (2.72).
Soto is one of the better pitchers at inducing weak contact, with a 4.1% barrel rate (94th percentile), a 33.1% hard-hit rate (87th percentile), and an average exit velocity of 86.1 mph (95th percentile).
He had one of the better sliders in baseball last season, +8 run value, and his 96.4 mph sinker and 97.1 mph four-seam fastball give him a solid pitch mix, along with the occasional use of the sweeper.
Soto also performed well with advanced statistics, with a .196 expected batting average (93rd percentile), a 3.03 expected ERA (88th percentile), a .291 expected slugging percentage (Top 5%) and an expected weight on-base average on contact of .309 (Top 6%).
He was excellent in the first two months of the season, with a 1.95 ERA, and also in July, 1.74 ERA, and August, 1.32 ERA.
Most of his struggles came in June, 13.50 ERA, and also in September, a 6.75 ERA, but was solid outside of those months.
Why Gregory Soto Would Benefit This Pirates Bullpen
The Pirates currently lack left-handed relief pitcher options heading into next season, something they can't be short on, especially with five right-handed starting pitchers.
Mason Montgomery is the only southpaw in the Pirates bullpen who for sure has a roster spot for 2027, where he'll stay on as closer after an incredible final two months of 2026.
The other three left-handed pitchers on the Pirates' 40-man roster are Hunter Barco and both Brandon Eisert and Evan Sisk.
Barco is more of a starting pitcher/bulk reliever, while Eisert and Sisk are a similar type of pitcher: low velocity, but great extension to deceive hitters.
Soto is a harder-throwing lefty who can come in more high-leverage situations and was someone that the Pirates were able to use all year long, without any injuries.
He worked well in either save situations, high-leverage and earlier on in the ball game as well, making him a versatile option for the Pirates bullpen.
Soto could be erratic at times, which hurt him, but he also worked out of some tough jams and kept hitters guessing when he was on the mound.
If the Pirates can sign him to a similar amount they did last year, it wouldn't come as a surprise to see them run it back with him.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.