Giants Sign Slugger Jorge Soler
The seemingly slow-moving MLB offseason got some much-needed action on Tuesday morning when power-hitting designated hitter/outfielder Jorge Soler signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. Soler opted out of his previous three-year contract worth $36 million with the Miami Marlins over the winter after hitting 36 home runs and slashing .250/.341/.512 in 2023. It was an outstanding 2023 campaign for Soler besides his 36 home runs which placed him tied for eighth in the National League. He also finished the year with his second-best walk and strikeout rates of his career which is generally an area of concern for big sluggers like Soler.
This is a significant signing for San Francisco for a couple of reasons. The most important one is the lack of power throughout the Giants’ lineup in the recent past. The Giants finished the 2023 season ranking in the bottom third of the league in on-base percentage (24th), slugging percentage (27th), runs scored (24th), and team batting average (28th). They also have famously not had a 30-home-run hitter since the great Barry Bonds back in 2004. Jorge Soler has two 30 home run seasons in the past five years including his historic 2019 campaign with the Kansas City Royals where he led the American League in home runs with 48. Soler also provides valuable postseason experience to a team that is looking to make a push for October in a tough National League West in 2024. Soler has won two World Series titles, one in 2016 with the Chicago Cubs, and another in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves. He played a much larger role in 2021 with the Braves where he ended up winning World Series MVP. In the 2021 World Series, Soler tallied six hits, three of those hits being home runs, which included the famous moonshot he hit over the train tracks at Minute Maid Park in the clinching Game Six, and he drove in six RBIs on his way to the series MVP award.
Soler should fit nicely into the middle of this Giants lineup while serving as the main power threat. There is some risk with that given that power hitters are notoriously streaky hitters, and Soler is no different in that regard, but the stats have shown that he will produce over the sample size of a full 162-game season. Giants’ fans can expect to mainly see Soler in the lineup as a DH given his defensive Statcast numbers have declined over the years. That should not be much of an issue for San Francisco since they have outfielders Michael Conforto and Carl Yastrzemski to hold down the corner outfield spots. However, do not be surprised to see Soler make occasional starts in the corner outfield when new Giants manager Bob Melvin wants to get a good righty/lefty split matchup, or when he wants to give either Conforto or Yastrzemski off days. Soler has a rocket arm and plenty of experience in the outfield, so he will be able to serve as an important asset in that regard. However, everyone knows this is a signing because of what Soler can do at the plate. One last fun thing to look for with Soler in the Bay; it is well-known that no right-handed hitter has ever hit a home run into the bay (on the fly) over the right field wall. Well, Soler is one of the few who has the power to change that, and he is going to have three years to try and do it.
