Giants To Sign Jorge Soler
The San Francisco Giants have reached a three-year agreement with free agent designated hitter and outfielder, Jorge Soler, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The deal is subject to a physical and Soler is represented by MVP Sports Group.
The Giants have been lacking a power profile in recent years. In the 2023 season, they ranked 19th in the Majors in home runs with 174, 24th in runs scored with 674, 28th in average at .235, 24th in on-base percentage at .312, and 27th in slugging percentage at .383. It is well-known that the Giants have not had a player hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds in 2004, and they have only had one player hit 20 home runs in each of the last two seasons (Joc Pederson with 23 in 2022 and Wilmer Flores with 23 last year).
Including Soler in the starting lineup will likely reduce the amount of playing time for J.D. Davis and/or Wilmer Flores when facing right-handed opponents. However, this adds three strong right-handed hitters to the team’s arsenal against left-handed pitchers. The addition of new backup catcher Tom Murphy, with a career 126 wRC+ against lefties, will also contribute to this strength, along with a full season from switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey, who excelled against lefties but struggled against righties. Overall, the San Francisco lineup appears to be much better equipped to handle left-handed pitching compared to last year’s team.
Soler possesses a unique type of strength. In the previous year, he hit 36 home runs, which was his second-highest total in a season. In 2019, Soler led the American League with 48 homers for the Royals. Despite injuries limiting him to only two 30-home run seasons, he has averaged 32 home runs for every 162 games played in his career. Since his breakout year in 2019, Soler has ranked 17th out of 302 qualified hitters with a .248 isolated power score (slugging minus batting average). Overall, he has a batting average of .240, on-base percentage of .331, and slugging percentage of .488 during that time.
Negotiations between Soler and the Giants have been ongoing for approximately one week. However, as of this morning, the Giants were said to still be considering the offer but were hesitant about guaranteeing a third season for Soler. It appears that their stance has shifted throughout the day.
Despite his previous experience playing in the outfield corners, Soler is not expected to spend much time in those positions while in San Francisco. His defensive skills have been decreasing over time and he was only used sparingly in right field by the Marlins, with only 241 innings played last season. Soler has only had two seasons where he played more than 500 defensive innings. He will mainly be used as the designated hitter for the Giants, but there is a chance he may occasionally play in left or right field.
Soler, who is 32 years old, chose not to participate in the last year of his three-year contract with the Marlins, which was worth million. This decision was made in November, following a season in which he hit 36 home runs and had a batting average of .250/.341/.512 (126 wRC+). His walk and strikeout rates were some of the best in his career at 11.4% and 24.3%, respectively. According to Statcast, he ranked in the 81st percentile or higher for average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate.
Soler’s path to his production is not a straightforward one. He has a tendency to have hot and cold streaks within a season and can be unpredictable from year to year. While his performances in 2019 and 2023 were impressive, his numbers in 2022 were below average. Even during his standout 2021 season, where he was named World Series MVP, Soler’s batting average was only .198 with a .288 on-base percentage and .377 slugging percentage. However, after being traded to Atlanta, he improved to slash .269/.358/.524. Signing Soler to a three-year deal will likely come with ups and downs, but his powerful hitting abilities have the potential to carry a lineup for short periods of time.
This is especially accurate because Soler can provide a valuable right-handed option for corner outfielders, such as Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski, who are left-handed. The Giants struggled against left-handed pitchers in 2023, with a batting line of .245/.306/.376. However, Soler’s impressive performance of .277/.393/.688 against lefties in the previous season will greatly benefit San Francisco in those matchups.
Although the specific financial details have not yet been disclosed, the Giants should not have any concerns about their payroll in regards to the recent acquisition of Soler. Prior to this deal, the Giants’ payroll for 2023 was already over million below their current levels and more than million less than their previous franchise record. Even if the team’s ownership is not willing to surpass their previous highwater mark for player payroll, there is still enough room to potentially sign both Soler and another high-profile free agent. It is worth mentioning that the Giants have been rumored to be interested in players such as Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, and Jordan Montgomery in recent weeks. The addition of Soler should not hinder their pursuit of these players.
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