Free-Agent Lefty Gregory Soto Would Solve The Royals' Bullpen Whiff Problem

[Brian Shrum]

The Kansas City Royals need bullpen help and a reliable arm for late-inning situations. The front office is back to the drawing board after a rough 69-93 season, in which the bullpen was a major pain point for the team, finishing dead last in FIP (5.06) and total strikeouts (482). 

With a salary floor already proposed in the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Royals will need to increase their spending this offseason. One way to do that is by targeting free agent Gregory Soto, who ranks 58th overall in DiamondCentric's Top Free Agents Ranking. After a highly productive 2026 campaign with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Soto has proven himself to be a solid reliever. Bringing him to Kansas City to fix the team's late-inning relief problem is exactly what the ball club needs. 

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Gregory Soto's 2026 Numbers At A Glance:

2026 Statistics:

• Innings Pitched: 67
• Record: 6-5
• Saves: 16
• ERA: 3.63
• WHIP: 1.16
• FIP: 3.32
• Strikeouts: 79
• Walks: 27
• bWAR: 1.2

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Why The Royals Should Sign Gregory Soto

In short, Soto provides exactly what the Royals need, which is a dominant, reliable, left-handed arm out of the bullpen. Let's take a deeper look at Soto's metrics this past season. 

The primary culprit behind the Royals' relief struggles was an inability to put hitters away, as evidenced by their league-worst strikeout numbers. Soto fills that gap. His 27.7% strikeout rate in 2026 was the best he's posted since the 2020 season. Soto has a heavy sinker that averaged 96.4 mph and topped out at 100.1 mph this past season. He operates with a four-pitch mix that is built around his impressive sinker and devastating slider. His slider generated a whiff rate of 40% and a chase rate of 31.5% across all four pitch types. 

Soto posted a 3.32 FIP in 2026, which was lower than his 3.63 ERA, indicating that he pitched even better than his baseline numbers. Opposing teams had a .190 batting average against Soto, as he consistently baffled them on the mound and prevented them from stringing together hits. 

When hitters did manage to put the ball in play against him, they struggled to lift it, as shown by Soto's 46.1% ground-ball rate. The Royals have a highly capable defensive infield backed by Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt Jr., Michael Massey and Vinnie Pasquantino, who are all built to maximize a ground-ball pitcher's effectiveness. Putting a heavy sinker lefty in front of Kansas City's talented defensive infield is a great recipe for quick, efficient outs. 

Bottom Line

While premier closing pitchers and late-inning bullpen arms demand high-dollar contracts, Soto sits in a sweet spot as an impactful yet realistic target. Soto will likely fetch a multi-year contract somewhere in the range of $8-$10 million per season this winter. If the Royals want the opposite of what happened to them last season with the bullpen, making Soto an offer would be a step in the right direction. 

Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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