The Philadelphia Phillies were active at the trade deadline, primarily with one team: the Baltimore Orioles. This was a tremendous surprise, given that the Phillies and Orioles might easily represent their respective leagues in this year’s World Series. No one could have guessed that they would make two trades with each other.
The first agreement reached by the clubs appeared to be a win-win situation. The Phillies got the right-handed hitting outfielder they wanted in Austin Hays, and the Orioles improved their bullpen with Seranthony Dominguez. Both Hays and Dominguez have improved their games after the move. The other agreement, which was concluded just minutes before the deadline, came as a surprise.
The Phillies executed the type of trade you’d expect from a seller, sending Gregory Soto to the Orioles in return for two pitching prospects. As strange as the move was, it made more sense after learning that Soto had sought to be dealt away from Philadelphia.
“Soto told Orioles reporters that he and his agent expressed to the Phillies ahead of the trade deadline that if an opportunity to trade him arose, he would be happy in a new environment,” writes Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “The Phillies accommodated him, sending him to Baltimore for pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Moises Chace.”
According to how he has started his career in Baltimore, Soto may have received karma for demanding a trade away from a clear-cut World Series contender.
Gregory Soto may regret trade demand after difficult start with new team.
Soto has only appeared in three games for the Orioles, but he has looked shaky in each of them.
The first saw him allow four runs while recording only one out, turning a 4-1 deficit into an 8-1 thrashing. The second one was slightly better, but he was unable to complete the sixth inning of a three-run game after allowing two hits. The third one occurred on Tuesday and was equally brutal.
Soto entered the sixth inning against an undermanned Toronto Blue Jays club, with the Orioles leading 1-0 with one runner on base and two outs. Soto only had to record one out.
Instead, just two batters later, Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run homer, putting the Orioles down. Soto would allow two more doubles sandwiched by an intentional walk, making it 5-1 Blue Jays. Toronto would win the game 5-2, with Soto blowing a save and getting the loss.
Overall, as an Oriole, Soto has allowed eight runs on nine hits and four walks, while collecting four outs. He has an ERA of 54.00 and a WHIP of 9.000. He has been impossibly bad in only three Orioles appearances.
This comes as no surprise to Phillies fans, considering Soto was mainly unreliable in Philadelphia. He had a 4.62 ERA in 2023 and a 4.08 ERA and 1.585 WHIP in 43 Phillies appearances before to the trade. His material has always been excellent, but commanding it has been Soto’s undoing. So far, nothing has changed in my Orioles outfit.
Perhaps Soto can figure it out in Baltimore, but the early returns on the transaction aren’t looking good for the Orioles or Soto, who wasn’t delighted in Philadelphia. Given how poorly he has pitched, perhaps this can serve as a lesson to other players. Be cautious what you wish for.
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