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The defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies have been busy this offseason following a magical run to the World Series.
The team obviously fell short against the Houston Astros, but have proven their desire to get back to the Fall Classic with some key additions.
One of those additions was the trade for left-hander Gregory Soto.
The Phillies acquired Soto and utilityman Kody Clemens from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for utilitymen Matt Vierling and Nick Maton and catcher Donny Sands.
Late on Tuesday, Phillies General Manager and former MLB outfielder Sam Fuld stopped by MLB Network and spoke with Christopher Russo about the trade, expressing excitement for the team’s new additions and talking about his goals for them.
.@Phillies GM Sam Fuld joined #HighHeat to talk about trading for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens and what he expects them to bring to the team.@MadDogUnleashed | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/xjQqfgDtmo
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 11, 2023
Clearly, Fuld is excited about where things stand for the defending NL champs.
In addition to Soto, the Phillies have signed relievers Craig Kimbrel and Matt Strahm to bolster the bullpen.
Fuld compared Soto and his electric swing-and-miss stuff to that of left-hander Jose Alvarado and expressed his confidence in what their newest addition could bring to the table.
The Phillies GM was also asked about Soto’s high walk rate.
Fuld talked about how he hopes to see Soto cut down on the walks, but also expressed confidence in the abilities of the team’s two catchers, J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs, to help Soto work through his command issues.
The 27-year-old posted a 3.28 ERA in 64 appearances and saved 30 games with the Tigers in 2022.
Having Soto at the back end of the bullpen gives the Phillies a strong chance to repeat as NL champs.
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