Mets Reportedly Trade for Gregory Soto, Orioles Land Aracena, Foster amid MLB Rumors

The New York Mets are set to acquire left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for pitchers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster, SNY's Andy Martino reported Friday.

The trade is pending medical examination, per Martino.

Soto has recorded a 3.96 ERA through 45 appearances and 36.1 innings pitched with the Orioles this season.

The 30-year-old, who earned All-Star nods with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and 2022, is playing his seventh MLB season on an expiring $1.9 million contract.

He has been particularly strong against left-handed batters, holding them to a .138 batting average so far this season, per Baseball Reference.

Soto had a particularly strong month of June, during which he held opponents to a 1.64 ERA through 13 appearances and 11.0 innings pitched. He will look to rebound toward those numbers after seeing his effectiveness dip in July.

The trade allows the Orioles, a team currently sitting 9.0 games back of the last AL Wild Card spot, to recoup prospects for an expiring contract.

The Mets will meanwhile get the chance to add a reliever to an understaffed corps in need of reinforcements.

The club started out the season with one of MLB's top bullpens but later lost A.J. Minter, Dedniel Núñez, Danny Young and Max Kranick to season-ending injuries.

The Mets have continued to lean on the bullpen this summer. Relievers have pitched 179.1 innings in Queens since June 1, good for the fourth-most in MLB.

The unit has meanwhile been much less effective, ranking 26th in MLB with a 5.02 ERA over that span.

President of baseball operations David Stearns recently said adding bullpen help, either through a trade or through Triple-A call-ups, would be a priority for the Mets this month.

The arrival of Soto and the recent return of Jose Butto from IL will help Stearns achieve that goal ahead of the July 31 deadline.

The Mets will meanwhile part ways with Aracena, who has recorded a 2.38 ERA in 17 appearances and eight starts (64.1 innings pitched) for the Florida State League's St. Lucie Mets this season.

He was named the FSL Pitcher of the Month in June after allowing eight hits and three runs while striking out 29 batters for a 1.13 ERA through five appearances.

Foster posted a 1.01 ERA through 19 appearances at the Double-A level this season. He has made two appearances at the Triple-A level, most recently struggling through a four-hit, six-run partial inning on July 12 against Lehigh Valley.

The Orioles deciding to move on from Soto could be seen as confirmation the club will head into the deadline as sellers. Other players on expiring contracts, like infielder Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Cedric Mullins, could hit the trade block by next Thursday.