"I was motivated to show what I was capable of" - Gregory Soto reveals how he strategically pitched his way into a Mets uniform

The New York Mets were reported looking to strengthen the bullpen ahead of the trade deadline and the National League East team did that by trading for Gregory Soto on Friday.

The two-time All-Star closer arrives in Queens from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for minor league pitchers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.

The left-handed reliever revealed on Saturday that he wanted to impress his new employers when he faced the Mets for the Orioles earlier this month.

“I [wanted to] show them what I was capable of doing,” Soto said after the Mets’ 2-1 victory over the Giants. “Just so they could see what I was able to do so they could trade for me.”

Soto shared the reason behind his desire to join the team.

"The way they play the game, the culture that they have here, a lot of Latinos, as well,” Soto said. “This is a team that wants to win, and I want to win a championship, so that is why I want to be here.”

Mets manager reflects on Gregory Soto's arrival

The Mets bullpen has seemingly struggled against lefty hitters, and Gregory Soto's arrival fills that gap as the 30-year-old has been solid in high-leverage situations, conceding a .516 OPS.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared and hailed the lefty pitcher after his arrival.

"The biggest thing is his ability to come in when there’s high leverage and there’s pressure there,” Mendoza said. “Obviously, he’s a piece that’s going to help us, and I’m excited about it.”

Soto will join another lefty Brooks Raley, who joined the bullpen after recovering from a Tommy John surgery.

"There’s been a lot of faces walking through those doors,” Mendoza said. “Now we've got Raley back, and we’ve seen the impact right away. To be able to add another lefty … allows me to deploy one of them earlier in the game, and the other one for the later innings … to match up with some of the lineups that we’re going to be facing.”

Soto joins the Mets who extended their winning streak to six games with five of them coming on the road.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash