The Pittsburgh Pirates have been quite busy over the past couple of days, as their front office is making good on their promise to improve the roster over the offseason. Prior to the recent flurry of moves, one of the Pirates’ bigger moves in free agency came earlier this month when they signed relief pitcher Gregory Soto to a one-year, $7.75 million contract.
A two-time All-Star, Soto is one of the premier left-handed relievers in the league. He didn’t have his best season in 2025 (1-5, 4.18 ERA, 1 SV, 70 K, 1.43 WHIP), but Soto can be used in just about any high-leverage situation, which makes him very valuable. Now, he’s joining an upstart Pirates team, and he’s looking forward to helping this group improve in 2026.
“What I saw in the Pirates was a group of young guys with a lot of talent and with the desire to win, and that’s something that I’ve built throughout the years. I’ve been in the league for a few years now and I want to come here and contribute to that,” Soto said.
Soto will immediately become a key piece of Pittsburgh’s bullpen, and he could even be a candidate to close games, as he has 56 saves over his seven-year career. Regardless of his role, his presence will help make the Pirates’ bullpen a much better group in 2026, and it will be worth keeping tabs on the team to see if they make any more big moves in the coming weeks.
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