It’s been an unusually loud offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates so far this winter.

While the team was linked to several free agents, most recently Kyle Schwarber, none of the major moves this team needs to make have come to fruition yet. The Pirates, did, however, make the first of hopefully several signings in free agency.

Last night, news broke that the Pirates and left-handed reliever Gregory Soto were in agreement on a one-year, $7.75 million deal.

Soto started last season in Baltimore with the Orioles. There, he threw 36.1 innings to a 3.96 ERA, 1.294 WHIP, and 2.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. At the deadline this past year, Soto was traded from Baltimore to the New York Mets in exchange for two prospect pitchers.

His stats experienced an uptick in New York. In 24 innings, he amassed a 4.50 ERA and 1.625 WHIP, but he also wildly upped his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 4.33 with the Mets.

It evened out to a 4.18 ERA season in 60.1 total innings. Among the 17 Pirate pitchers who threw at least 30 innings for the team last season, Soto would have slotted in at 13th in ERA, just one point ahead of Mitch Keller’s 4.19 ERA.

However, Soto’s FIP was a far more favorable 3.42, which would have ranked eighth, putting him in front of Isaac Mattson’s 3.66.

That can certainly work in the Pirate bullpen.

Soto was terrific in left-on-left matchups last season. Lefty batters slashed .192/.280/.269 (.549 OPS) against Soto last year in 118 plate appearances. In addition to that, Soto struck out 26.2% of the lefties he faced, as opposed to 24.2% of righties faced.

Soto was also dominant in high-leverage situations. Opponents slashed .229/.290/.301 (.592 OPS) in 94 high-leverage plate appearances. That OPS was .132 lower than medium leverage, and .172 lower than low leverage. As the pressure ramped up, Soto brought his best.

A bullpen arm was a big need on Pittsburgh’s offseason checklist this winter. After selling at the trade deadline, their relieving staff certainly showed some holes.

In particular, though, a lefty was what the Pirates needed. The only left-handed reliever the Pirates had on their current 40-man roster was Evan Sisk, who was acquired from Kansas City as part of the Bailey Falter trade. Sisk, 28, had less than six innings of major league experience to his name at the time of the deal.

He earned a few separate call-ups from the Pirates later in the year, as the Pirates sought out anyone to help cover innings during the final two months of the year. He was a little unsteady, posting a 4.38 ERA, 1.297 WHIP, and 2.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio in a small sample size of 12.1 innings.

There’s certainly a chance that Sisk is a big part of the bullpen next season. However, the Pirates needed someone with a little more experience and a track record of pitching in the major leagues. Soto brings that; next season will mark Soto’s eighth in MLB.

Plus, if Sisk does work out with the Pirates next season, having two lefties is better than one.

He’s a good arm to have around. He’ll be 31 by the time spring training rolls around. At his age, he brings some veteran experience to a bullpen that still has some question marks, but he still has plenty of good baseball left in him as well.

Of course, we also have to watch for the possibility that he’s just an arm that they trade at the deadline. And if that’s the case, he will provide a decent return for the Pirates, assuming his numbers don’t balloon.

Last year when he was traded, Soto fetched the 19th-ranked prospect in the Mets’ system, right-handed pitcher Wellington Aracena. He also brought back righty Cameron Foster.

All in all, this is a good signing. He’s a reliable lefty who fills a position of need, and if the Pirates want to act like a real team, he still leaves them with plenty of cash to still go out and sign other free agents.