Los Phillies reconocen que el jugador controvertido que deseaba salir nunca fue una buena combinación.
Even though Gregory Soto desired a new beginning, he will not be the closer in Baltimore.
After all the information was discovered, the Philadelphia Phillies’ final move on MLB trade deadline day seemed illogical at first, but it now makes perfect sense.
Once the Phillies acquired left-handed reliever Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox through a trade, southpaw Gregory Soto was promptly transferred to Baltimore to become one of the increasing number of former Phillies who are now Orioles.
In 2023, Soto joined the Phillies following two All-Star seasons as Detroit’s closer, during which he recorded 48 saves with a 3.34 ERA. Regretfully, he was never able to settle into a bullpen environment where he wasn’t the alpha dog. With a 4.42 ERA at the end of his Phillies career, he was 5-for-9 in save opportunities.
Gregory Soto, who wanted out, was never a good fit in the bullpen, the Phillies admit.
Soto’s presence in the Phillies bullpen was problematic since, well, he was never brought in to be the closer. The 29-year-old apparently took exception with the idea of being another versatile, high-leverage arm in the late innings.
As a Phillie, he had a terrible record of 35.9 percent strand rate and a 6.33 ERA in high-leverage situations, making him a questionable choice. This season, he had a strong run, but he struggled to deliver after supposedly requesting additional opportunities with significant risk. His 12.1 percent walk rate, which skyrocketed from a career-best 8.8 percent the previous year (he has a career walk rate of 12.2 percent, for reference), was a major contributing factor to his issues.
According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made it apparent following the trade deadline that he didn’t think Soto fit in the bullpen as it was put together.
Dombrowski stated, “We didn’t necessarily get him as a closer,” according to Zolecki. It’s okay that, in my opinion, he frequently sees himself as a closer. By all measures, he’s done well for us. We didn’t think poorly of him. He may not have been at ease in that aspect, though, given the way we use our “pen.”
Soto asked to be let go and to be allowed to pitch somewhere else.
Dombrowski’s remarks make sense even though they are a little unexpected. But we didn’t really understand how unhappy Soto was with the Phillies until he finally provided some clarification on the issue. Soto told the Phillies he was seeking for a different environment and would welcome a move if possible, according to Danielle Allentuck of The Baltimore Banner.
Maybe Soto hadn’t planned for his professional path to go from a 30-save season with the Tigers in 2022 to a three-save, 24-hold season in 2023. It’s evident that the opportunity to win a World Series wasn’t enough to keep him happy in Philadelphia despite not being “the closer.” However, there are no right or wrong ways to pursue a career.
Soto will have the same issue in Baltimore as he did in the Phillies bullpen, despite having his wish granted and starting over with a new team (the Orioles are equally as excellent as the Phillies and have an equal chance of winning the World Series).
Craig Kimbrel, a future Hall of Famer and former Phillie, is the closer in the bullpen now that he is joining. Furthermore, Kimbrel’s sole purpose is to cover for the ailing Félix Bautista. The Orioles depth chart on FanGraphs places Soto, a middle reliever, in the same position he occupied in the Phillies bullpen: sixth.
With the Orioles, ninth-inning opportunities may be few and far between, but good luck to Soto.
