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Blue Jays free agent target: Gregory Soto

Blue Jays free agent target: Gregory Soto
Photo credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Aidan Sinclair
Nov 11, 2026, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Nov 11, 2026, 01:09 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays had one of the game’s best bullpens in 2026, ranking fourth in MLB with a 3.30 ERA. 
Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Spencer Miles, Mason Fluharty, and Braydon Fisher were all staples in the back end all season long, with other names mixing into the fold as the year progressed. This is a solid core moving forward and arguably the greatest strength of Toronto’s current roster, but there is one attribute they’ve been missing for years. 
The Blue Jays have been great at picking up high-velocity right-handed bullpen arms in recent seasons, with Varland, Miles, Jordan Romano, Nate Pearson, and Jordan Hicks being some of the most notable names. At one point or another, all these pitchers averaged above 96 mph on their fastball and relied heavily on their velocity to attack opposing batters. 
Where Toronto hasn’t been as successful is finding high-velocity left-handed bullpen arms, with Genesis Cabrera (2024) being the last Blue Jay southpaw to average 96 mph or above. This type of pitcher is a rare commodity in the game, but the best teams find a way to get their hands on at least one to be successful. Think of the Milwaukee Brewers who won the 2026 World Series. They had Aaron Ashby, who averages 97.7 mph on his fastball and didn’t give up a run all postseason; DL Hall, who averaged 95.7 mph in October and pitched eight scoreless innings; and JoJo Romero, who topped out at 96.4 mph and had a 1.13 ERA in the playoffs. 
In 2026, Mason Fluharty, the most used pitcher in the MLB, averaged 90.8 mph on his Cutter (his primary fastball variation), Brendon Little averaged 95.1 mph but struggled immensely with control issues, and Ricky Tiedemann pitched just six innings all season. There are too many question marks regarding the projectability of Toronto’s left-handed bullpen options, with answers sitting comfortably on the free agent market. 
Gregory Soto is a veteran southpaw who made his MLB debut back in 2019 with the Detroit Tigers, eventually developing into the team’s closer for two seasons (2021/2022), being selected to the All-Star team both years. In 2022, he posted a 3.28 ERA with 30 saves across 60.1 innings pitched, while allowing just two home runs all season, good for a 0.3 HR/9. Heading into 2023, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, where things began to unravel rather quickly. 
In his first season in the city of brotherly love, he struggled to a 4.62 ERA. Then in 2024 he split time between Philly and Baltimore, posting a 4.42 cumulative ERA, before limping to a 4.18 ERA with both the Orioles and New York Mets in 2025. Though he experienced poor results on the field, his peripherals suggested he should have been much better during these three years. 
From 2023-2025, Soto’s FIP sat nearly a run lower than his ERA (3.55 vs 4.40); he lowered his BB/9 down to 3.8 after it sat above five during his time with the Tigers, and his Whiff% was above the 80th percentile each season. This gave the Pittsburgh Pirates enough reason to sign the southpaw heading into 2026, where he enjoyed a resurgent campaign and arguably his best since he was a full-time closer in 2022. 
Last year, Soto registered a 3.63 ERA in 67 innings with a 3.32 FIP for the Pirates, closing out 16 games before Mason Montgomery broke out in the second half and stole his job. It was overall a successful season for Soto, who ranked in the 90th percentile or above for breaking run value (10), xBA (.196), average exit velocity (86 mph), and barrel % (4.1). 
His primary offspeed, the slider, induced a .119 opponent batting average, while his sweeper produced a 38.1 put away percentage, creating a lethal duo of breaking pitches. His sinker, though not hit hard, was not effective at putting batters away, with an under 10 per cent whiff rate and an above .300 average against. This is primarily due to his lack of movement on the pitch, which the Blue Jays could rectify. 
Brendon Little is a perfect case study, given his fastball is only 1.5 mph slower than Soto’s on average, yet his movement profiles indicate he should be a much better pitcher. Little’s sinker averaged -34 inches of induced vertical break when he was at his best in 2025, while Soto averaged just -21 inches on his sinker a season ago. Little’s struggles become apparent when he can’t find the zone, but this is not the case for Soto. By comparison, Little walked 25 batters across 29.1 innings in 2026, while Soto walked just 29 across nearly triple the innings. 
If the Blue Jays pitching staff could create more depth on Soto’s sinker and fix the command issues of Little, they would have a fireball left-handed duo to pair with the steadiness of Mason Fluharty, which would form one of, if not the best, bullpens in the league. A contract for Soto is projected to be between two to four years with an AAV ranging from $8 million and $12 million, which Toronto could afford and still have room to sign a top bat on the market.

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