The Baltimore Orioles' teardown began on Friday afternoon. In the first of what's expected to be many trade deadline moves in the coming days, the Orioles traded left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to the New York Mets. In return, the Orioles will receive Mets' right-handed pitching prospects Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.
Soto was one of the top left-handed trade candidates available at this year's deadline. The southpaw, who is scheduled to be a free agent after the season, is 0-2 with a 3.96 ERA in 45 appearances out of the Orioles bullpen. Soto will be expected to bolster the Mets' playoff chances this season, and has allowed fellow lefties to hit just .138/.278/.276 this season.
Aracena, according to MLB Pipeline, was one of the Mets' top-20 prospects. A 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander, Aracena possesses a plus-fastball and a plus-cutter. Aracena, who was an international signee in 2022, is still just 20 years old and currently at Low-A.
Orioles trade All-Star reliever Gregory Soto to Mets for top-20 prospect
In Foster, Baltimore is getting New York's 14th-round pick from the 2022 MLB Draft. A product of McNeese State, Foster is 5-2 in 21 minor league appearances for New York this season. He owns a respectable 2.97 ERA and 1.93 FIP and was recently promoted to Triple-A.
Soto was the first domino to fall, but Baltimore is expected to one of the most active teams at this year's MLB trade deadline. In addition to Soto, players like Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, and Ryan O'Hearn are expected to be traded over the next week. Orioles' GM Mike Elias has spoken about the desire to jettison players who, like Soto, were near the end of their current deal, in hopes of snagging some high-upside prospects.
Orioles fans had better get used to seeing players depart. As the July 31 deadline creeps closer and closer, more and more rumors will emerge, and actual deals (like Soto's trade to the Mets) will get done. Buckle up, O's fans, it's going to be a busy few days.