Yankees blockbuster trade pitch lands 2-time All-Star from rival Orioles

The New York Yankees undoubtedly need a left-handed reliever at the trade deadline.

Tim Hill has admittedly been excellent, but he's the only consistent southpaw the Yankees have had all season. Adding a harder-throwing lefty could both relieve some of the pressure on Hill and give manager Aaron Boone some different tricks to deploy late in games.

Of all the Yankees' division rivals, only the Baltimore Orioles look like sellers. But they have a lefty in Gregory Soto who might be of real interest to New York.

Soto made his two All-Star teams as the closer for some pretty awful Detroit Tigers teams in 2021 and 2022. But although he won't be back in the Midsummer Classic this year, he's having a solid campaign with even better under-the-hood metrics.

On Wednesday, Ryan Garcia of Empire Sports Media named Soto as a top potential trade target for the Yankees this summer.

"If the Orioles choose to sell, Gregory Soto and his expiring contract would be likely to go, and I don’t think the price to pay would be hefty either, which keeps the door open to other additions," Garcia wrote.

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"A talented southpaw who throws hard while also having a brilliant breaking ball, Gregory Soto could make the Yankees a lot better."

Soto has a 3.54 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 28 innings. His walk rate is at a career-low 8.3 percent, though, and his 2.72 FIP is the best of his career.

If the Yankees can convince their division rivals to hand them the 30-year-old Soto without paying too steep a price, this could be just the shot in the arm the New York bullpen needs after the All-Star break.

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