Mets' acquisition of Gregory Soto gives the Pirates a blueprint for reliever trade

The trade deadline is less than a week away and there have already been two notable deals. The Josh Naylor trade doesn't really impact Pittsburgh, but the Gregory Soto deal between the Mets and Orioles gives the Pirates a strong idea of what they can do with a trade of Caleb Ferguson.

Ferguson has tanked his trade value recently with a bad stretch of games, yet his numbers on the season are similar to what Soto has produced. Both have an ERA slightly below 4.00, with Ferguson and Soto at 3.92 and 3.96), and an xERA in the low 3.00s (3.02 and 3.34). On top of that, their FIP is both in the low 3.00s (3.19 and 3.29).

The only difference in their game is that Soto produces more strikeouts, while Ferguson limits the hard contact. In fact, Ferguson has the lowest average exit velocity in baseball at 83.6 MPH and the lowest hard-hit rate of 26.3%. Even through this little cold stretch on the mound, he still brings a ton of value to a bullpen.

The Pirates were given a perfect blueprint to trade Caleb Ferguson with the Mets acquisition of Gregory Soto

Both Soto and Ferguson are rentals, and the Mets gave up their 14th-ranked prospect (per FanGraphs) and another older prospect in their deal. So for the Pirates, how could this translate to a Ferguson deal?

The Pirates are likely going to do the opposite of the Orioles and target offensive prospects like this. For the ranked prospect, Pittsburgh may want a higher upside guy in High-A or Double-A, similar to Wellington Aracena in this Soto trade, and an older player blocked by a better player in the big leagues in Triple-A, just like Cam Devanney in the Adam Frazier deal.

As a rental, fans cannot really expect that much in a return for Ferguson. But the same exact kind of return for Soto in terms of value — just in bats — definitely isn't the worst thing in the world. Ben Cherinton just needs to maximize the value in every move he makes, or else he might officially be put on the hot seat if the Pirates continue to spiral in the wrong direction.