Gregory Soto trade looks like even more of a steal after recent prospect report

When the Philadelphia Phillies traded left-handed reliever Gregory Soto at the trade deadline this year, the move was one that was born out of necessity. Poor performance and behind-the-scenes disagreements with Soto about his role in the bullpen apparently forced the Phillies' hands to find a deal.

Finding a taker in the Baltimore Orioles, the Phillies cashed in on Soto by acquiring two right-handed pitching prospects, adding some much-needed arms to the farm system.

Soto came to the Phillies in a five-player deal in 2023 with the hopes that the hard-throwing two-time All-Star would contribute saves and high-leverage relief to a Phillies bullpen in need of another power arm to pair with José Alvarado late in close ball games. A year and a half later, Soto was shipped out of town after posting a record of 5-8, with five saves and a 4.42 ERA in 112 appearances, while producing a WHIP of 1.307 in 95 2/3 innings.

The fact that the Phillies were able to acquire two pitching prospects for Soto was not a bad result, and with both Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace considered legitimate prospects, the deal the Phillies made with the Orioles looks even more like a steal. While Johnson reportedly has the type of stuff that could make him a back-of-the-rotation option for the Phillies down the line, the ceiling for 21-year-old Chace could be even higher.

Gregory Soto trade looks like even more of a steal after recent prospect report

Phillies assistant general manager of player development Preston Mattingly was a recent guest on The Phillies Show podcast, and the young executive was not shy in his praise of Moisés Chace.

“Moisés Chace is a guy to me that has the stuff now to compete in the big leagues, it's just refining," Mattingly said. "The fastball is special, he's got a sweeper, a cutter and a change up. It's a lot of finer points with him we're trying to do, like holding runners.

"The overall strike throwing is not quite where it needs to be, but I think he's a guy where if he takes that next step from a command standpoint, it's not going to matter as much to the hitters. It's going to be a matter of him getting the ball over the plate consistently because if he does that, he's going to have real success."

Chase showed promise in his four starts for Double-A Reading, with the Venezuela native going 2-1 with a 3.66 ERA in addition to 35 strikeouts and seven walks in 19 2/3 innings. Chase's 13-strikeout performance on Aug. 31 left a strong impression on Mattingly.

“That was probably his high, but if that's the high, we'll take it, and I definitely think it'll be good enough when he gets to the major leagues too," added Mattingly. "He's 21 years old and he's somewhat new to pitching with the amount of mileage he has on his arm, but he's not scared either and he's going to keep coming after you and he has the stuff. If we can harness that and get him in the zone, he could have a chance to pitch for a long time.”

Phillies fans have already had a look at Johnson after the 25-year-old was summoned to make a spot start against the Miami Marlins on Sept. 8. To say Johnson's 2 1/3 inning of work left a lot to be desired is an understatement after getting shelled for nine earned runs on eight hits, while walking three and not recording a strikeout. Rough debut aside, Mattingly was clear that the Phillies front office still views Johnson as an MLB contributor in the near future.

“We're we're very high on Seth Johnson," Mattingly said. "I know he came up and struggled in a very short sample there in Miami, but we think he's a guy that can help us going forward."

While Johnson and Chace each have development milestones still to reach, the fact that the Phillies were able to acquire two talented pitching prospects for Soto already looks lopsided in the Phillies' favor. The Phillies organization found themselves in need of some more quality young pitching, and by the looks of it, the deal that brought in Johnson and Chace is already looking like a stealth move.

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