Cardinals Could Snag Former Phillies All-Star At Deadline

A southpaw reliever may be emerging as a trade target for the St. Louis Cardinals.

If the Cardinals have a winning July and decide to buy, they’d be wise to add a bullpen arm to support Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley in high-leverage situations.

With that in mind, FanSided’s Thomas Gauvain recently proposed an idea involving a former Philadelphia Phillies left-hander.

“The Baltimore Orioles traded for ... Gregory Soto at last year's deadline to help with their own playoff push,” Gauvain wrote.

“This year, the Cardinals could do the same thing with Soto.”

Soto, 30, was a two-time All-Star with the Detroit Tigers (2021-2022) before joining the Philadelphia Phillies, and more recently, the Orioles.

Gauvain admitted that while Soto’s playoff pedigree isn’t ideal, he wouldn’t be an expensive addition for St. Louis.

“Soto's playoff experience is minimal; he's thrown only 3.2 innings, and he has a 4.91 career ERA in the playoffs with four strikeouts,” Gauvain wrote.

“He had a tough go in the 2023 postseason with the Philadelphia Phillies, but he settled in well for the Orioles last year in very limited experience (0.2 innings).”

“Soto is in the final year of arbitration, so he shouldn't cost an arm and a leg to acquire via trade. A mid-tier prospect should suffice as a return for Soto's services for the rest of the year. … Soto would be a nice ... buffer for both Phil Maton and Ryan Helsley.”

Soto has a 4.11 ERA this year with 37 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings.

He’s primarily worked in the seventh or eighth inning of games for Baltimore, meaning he’d be well-prepared to jump into a setup man role for the Cardinals.

Should St. Louis prepare an offer?