RADIO
Gregory Soto Continues to be Part of a Closer-by-Committee Approach
Pittsburgh Pirates left-handed reliever Gregory Soto (2-0) has been excellent so far in 2026, making 14 appearances on the season with a 1.98 ERA and 0.80 WHIP with 20 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings pitched. Under the hood, he has also been dominant (1.86 xERA and .137 xBA). Currently, he is splitting closing duties with right-hander Dennis Santana, who earned 16 saves last season. Although Soto's stuff and stats project better than Santana's, Santana is still throwing the ball well, with a 0.69 ERA and 0.85 WHIP; however, regression may catch up with Santana at some point, as he has a 3.52 xERA and is missing fewer bats (25.3 percent whiff rate to Soto's 31.1 percent). While Soto holds standalone value as things are now, he appears to be the higher upside reliever to roster amongst the two Pirate backend relievers, making him a must-add reliever in deeper formats.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
