Pirates Should Re-Sign This Upcoming Free Agent

Before the Pittsburgh Pirates start looking outside the organization to improve their roster for the 2027 season, the front office needs to take a good look at what they had this past year.

One of Pittsburgh’s biggest needs is improving the bullpen. That includes keeping the relievers who worked in 2026 on the roster heading into next year.

One of the Pirates’ pending free agents this offseason is Gregory Soto, and he’s definitely a player the Pirates should consider re-signing for next season.

Pittsburgh signed Soto to a one-year deal last offseason, with the hopes that he could fill the team’s need as a back-end reliever and even take the ball in the ninth inning to close out games on occasion.

The reality was that Soto didn’t quite fill that role, which forced Pittsburgh to add even more relievers ahead of the trade deadline at the beginning of August. The expectations for Soto were high, and even though he didn’t meet those, Soto was still a solid pitcher in the right role last season.

The 31-year-old finished the year with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 69 outings. His average fastball velocity of 96.6 mph still ranks well above league average, and the right-hander proved he was still one of the better punchout arms in baseball with a strikeout rate of 27.7 percent, ranking in the 27.7th percentile.

In the 22 save opportunities Soto did get, he converted on 16 of them.

With all that said, Soto’s command was still a problem at times. He averaged 3.9 walks per nine innings, which ultimately was his biggest issue in high-leverage situations.

The Pirates have their closer of the future in Mason Montgomery and another veteran, reliable high-leverage reliever in Luke Weaver already on the roster. With that in mind, Pittsburgh can bring back Soto as an option to turn to get out of a jam in the middle innings.

Soto’s career stats for that role would make him a valuable piece to Pittsburgh’s roster.

Part of the question of whether the Pirates should bring back Soto will come down to salary. His contract with Pittsburgh last year was $7.75 million, but that was with the hope that he could be the team’s go-to ninth-inning pitcher.

Considering how the season went and Soto only getting older, it’s fair if the Pirates don’t want to give him a payday. However, that’s not to say another team wouldn’t offer the veteran pitcher more.

If Pittsburgh feels comfortable with the contract, there’s no reason the Pirates shouldn’t want to bring back Soto for 2027.