Phillies Trade Soto to Baltimore for Two Prospects

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July 30, 2024

The Philadelphia Phillies made another trade with the Baltimore Orioles before the trade deadline. The Phillies traded left-handed reliever Gregory Soto for pitching prospects Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace.

Soto’s time in Philadelphia has come to an end after spending the past two seasons with the club. The two-time All-Star was acquired by the Phillies in a five-player trade with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2023 season. He was never able to replicate those All-Star seasons in Philadelphia.

Taking a Look at the Phillies’ Two Newest Prospects

Johnson was the highlight of the trade for the Phillies. The right-handed pitcher was the Orioles’ No. 8 prospect, per MLB’s prospect rankings. The 25-year-old was the No. 40 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2019 MLB Draft. He’s a starting pitcher with high fastball velocity, but he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022.

Johnson has been having a solid season with Double-A Bowie, and he hopes to continue that success in the Phillies organization. He has a 2.63 ERA and opposing hitters are batting just .219 against him through 18 starts in 2024. Johnson was added to the 40-man roster and assigned to Double-A Reading. He has a chance to be a backend starter in the rotation in the future. They could also decide to use him as a bullpen option down the line.

Chace is the other piece heading to Philadelphia. The 21-year-old right-handed pitcher is 2-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 17 games in the minor leagues this year. He’s started in nine games and has one save. Chace has a 4.50 ERA across 202 innings pitched in his minor league career. He was assigned to High-A Jersey Shore.

The 2024 MLB trade deadline came and went. The top team in baseball made four trades, including two with the Orioles. The NL East-leading Phillies traded relief pitchers Seranthony Domínguez and Soto as well as outfielder Cristian Pache to the AL East-leading Orioles. They received outfielder Austin Hays and now two new prospects in Johnson and Chace. The Phillies also acquired right-handed pitcher Carlos Estévez from the Los Angeles Angels and left-handed pitcher Tanner Banks from the Chicago White Sox.