Blue Jays lose out on target left-handed reliever from division rival

The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be in the market for relief pitching depth before the trade deadline comes and goes. One of their targets, however, is no longer on the market.

The Baltimore Orioles have traded left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to the New York Mets for pitching prospects Wellington Arecena and Cameron Foster, per SNY's Andy Jeff Martino.

MLB insider Hector Gomez originally reported back on July 22 the Blue Jays were in conversation with the Orioles for both Soto and Seranthony Dominguez. The latter continues to be an Oriole at the time of this writing.

Soto has made 45 appearances for Baltimore this season, posting an 0-2 record with 44 strikeouts in 35 and a third innings.

The seven-year veteran has found success with the strike zone, as Baseball Savant states he's in the upper percentiles for whiff rate (87th), strikeout percentage (82nd), and fastball velocity (85th). Although his fastball velocity has slightly decreased over the years, Soto continues to be a reliable source out of the pen in high-leverage situations.

Wellington Aracena was the Mets' 16th ranked prospect in their farm system, pitching in Single-A St. Lucie. Aracena is 1-1 on the season with a 2.38 ERA with 84 strikeouts 17 appearances, eight of those as a starter. The young pitcher sees his fastball sit around 96-99 MPH, with a peak of 101 MPH, per his MILB scouting report.

Cameron Foster has spent most of his time with Double-A Birmingham, making one stop in Triple-A Syracuse before being sent back down. The 26-year-old right-handed pitcher is 5-2 this season, with a 2.97 ERA in 21 appearances across Double-A and Triple-A. Foster was unranked in the Mets' system.

Soto becomes the second potential trade target off the board for the Blue Jays after the Mariners snagged Josh Naylor from the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

The MLB trade deadline is July 31 at 6pm EST.