Gregory Soto Traded to the Philadelphia Phillies
Gregory Soto is on the move! The All-Star closer has been traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in a five-player deal with the Detroit Tigers. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi has all of the details:
The NL Champs are going big this Winter. Not long after picking up superstar Trea Turner, Dave Dombrowski makes a huge move for the bullpen.
Soto is an elite lefty who has been an All-Star each of the past two years. Two of the best closers in the game now reside in the NL East in both Soto and Edwin Diaz of the Mets. At 27, he is also in his prime and looks set to fortify a Phillies pitching staff looking to go back to the World Series.
A small subplot here is also Kody Clemens. The son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens is also on the move to the City of Brotherly Love.
Rebuild In Progress…
The Tigers are continuing to move on from pieces in their rebuild. A.J. Hinch has his work cut out for him with a team that just finished 66-96 on the year.
Each of Nick Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands are not exactly X-factor youngsters. I’m sure that Al Avila is hoping that at least one of them will become worth keeping around.
All in all, the Tigers are just a team that confuses me. Why in the world do you hand out a six-year deal to Javier Báez of all people? His best days were when he killed the Tigers as part of the Cubs. A blueprint for success is there — look no further than Baltimore. Let the young guys play. Get veterans, but not in contracts that handcuff you for a long time.
It’s going to have to get worse before it gets better in Detroit.
Philly Time
Dave Dombrowski strikes again.
The Phillies have been one of the busiest teams in baseball this offseason. Turner was always the big fish, and he makes that lineup scary by just looking at it on paper.
It’s clear that the focus has been on pitching for most of the winter, securing Taijuan Walker, Craig Kimbrel and now, Gregory Soto. That starting rotation and bullpen have both gotten a lot better this winter.
You can say whatever you want about their payroll and asset management, but you also now have to say that the Phillies are here to stay. They stack up against just about anyone in the NL, and if this roster played Houston, it’s very possible that things end differently.
In conclusion, Philadelphia has a team that they can be more than proud of.
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