MLB Hot Stove Lowdown: Jorge Soler lands in San Francisco

Now that all the signed pitchers and catchers have reported to their spring training homes, we are starting to see the transaction freeze thaw in the warm Florida or Arizona sun. The Giants signed a much needed power bat and many veterans signed small minor league deals, in the hopes of extending their career. However, with all the joy there was sadness as a multitude of injuries was announced by teams. Let's dig in, shall we?

Giants power up with Jorge Soler

Earlier this week, the San Francisco Giants and Jorge Soler agreed on a three-year, $42 million contract. The agreement is pending a physical, which is nothing out of the ordinary, but with the Carlos Correa fiasco just one year ago, it needs to be kept in mind. The 32-year-old slugger opted out of his final season with the Marlins after hitting .250/.341/.512 with 36 homers across 137 plate appearances. It has been a couple of seasons since we saw this version of Soler, so it wasn’t all that surprising that he wanted to test out free agency. Soler gets three more years, and the Giants get a much-needed source of power. San Francisco hasn’t had a player hit more than 30 homers since Barry Bonds hit 45 dingers during the 2004 campaign. Over the past three seasons, the Giants are tied for 11th with 598 roundtrippers hit. Wilmer Flores leads all Giants with 60 home runs hit since 2021, with Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. finishing right behind him. Soler himself hit 76 big flies during that time, and he was limited to 358 games after battling a few different injuries, including back soreness and an oblique strain.

Soler has had an up-and-down career, posting a career-high 48 homers and 136 wRC+ with the Royals in 2019, but also has a .144/.245/.258 slash line over 110 plate appearances during his first year with Kansas City in 2017. He likely figures to see most of his time as the Giants’ designated hitter but could get a game or two in left field over the next three seasons. According to Fantasy Pros ADP, Jorge Soler is going as the 165th player off the board. Fantasy Pros compiles ADP data from five major sites, ESPN, NFBC, and CBS, and is useful data to use if you play on different hosting services. Now that he has a home, he’ll likely move up the board a few spots, but it seems his price is pretty much locked in now.

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Springtime injuries have sprung

All baseball fans get excited whenever there is news that pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp. The crack of the catcher's mitt is a sign that we’ve survived the long winter months. However, the joy can be cut short as players arrive to camp injured. The Orioles have had their wings clipped after news broke that Kyle Bradish has a UCL sprain, Gunnar Henderson has an oblique injury, John Means is behind on his throwing schedule, and catching prospect Samuel Basallo has a stress fracture in his right elbow. The Bradish news has the most fantasy impact for the 2024 season. The 27-year-old is coming off an outstanding season, where he posted a 2.63 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 168/44 K/BB ratio across 168 ⅔ innings and received Cy Young votes. Bradish will begin the season on the injured list and recently had a PRP injection in his right elbow. It remains to be seen how much time the talented right-hander will miss in 2024 and beyond. Henderson is expected to need a couple of weeks of downtime before getting back into game action, and the team isn’t expecting the reigning AL Rookie of the Year to miss much, if any, to start the season. Orioles general manager Mike Elias told reporters that John Means is about a month behind schedule after his left elbow started barking as he began ramping up intensity. Basallo’s injury is in his throwing elbow, and he will be limited to DH duties this spring, but the team seems optimistic that he will get plenty of plate appearances this year in the minors.

While not as drastic as the Orioles, the Astros’ pitching staff has been hit with the injury bug. Justin Verlander is a few weeks behind his regular schedule due to a shoulder issue. J.P. France is also dealing with a shoulder issue, but Houston’s general manager didn’t raise the alarm as neither player has been shut down and is playing catch. From a fantasy standpoint, Kyle Bradish is completely off my board. Typically, UCL sprains and a total shutdown in baseball activity lead to one thing: major surgery. All of the other players will likely slide down draft boards, as any injury news is bad news, but most will still play for the majority of the season as long as nothing else crops up.

MLB Quick Hits: Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that most of Masataka Yoshida’s at-bats will come from DH… White Sox signed RHP Dominic Leone to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training… White Sox signed RHP Corey Knebel to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training… Rangers signed RHP Adrian Sampson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training… Rays president Erik Neander said Shane Baz will be built up slowly this spring as he completes his rehab from Tommy John… Daniel Bard is expected to open the season on the injured list because of a torn meniscus in his left knee… Reds claimed OF Bubba Thompson off waivers from the Twins… Twins sent RHP Daniel Duarte outright to Triple-A St. Paul… Twins sent RHP Jordan Balazovic outright to Triple-A St. Paul… Reds designated RHP Levi Stoudt for assignment… Rays manager Kevin Cash said he’s “going to lean heavy” on René Pinto as the team’s starting catcher… Giants designated OF TJ Hopkins for assignment… Giants acquired INF Otto Lopez from the Blue Jays for cash considerations… Yankees designated LHP Matt Krook for assignment… Yankees claimed INF Jordan Groshans off waivers from the Marlins… Angels signed LHP Drew Pomeranz to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Reds manager David Bell told reporters on Tuesday that Noelvi Marte (hamstring) is not quite running at full speed yet… Phillies claimed RHP Kaleb Ort off of waivers from the Marlins… Phillies designated INF Diego Castillo for assignment… Phillies signed RHP David Buchanan to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Phillies sent RHP Andrew Bellatti outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley… Phillies sent OF Simon Muzziotti outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley… Marlins signed RHP Yonny Chirinos to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Twins signed RHP Jeff Brigham to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Twins signed C Brian O’Keefe to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Jason Adam lost his arbitration hearing against the Rays and will earn $2.7 million for the 2024 season… Marlins signed C Curt Casali to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Orioles avoided arbitration with infielder/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn by agreeing on a one-year contract with a club option for 2025… According to The Athletic’s Cody Stavenhagen, right-hander Casey Mize had been pitching through a back injury for years… Reliever Jason Foley claimed he’s adding a four-seam fastball to help him against lefties… According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, the Pirates agreed to a major league split contract with left-hander Josh Fleming… Reliever Josh Staumont claims that he’s 100 percent healthy after offseason surgery… Alex Cobb (hip) is at Giants spring training but has not been cleared to throw off a mound yet… Catching prospect Dillon Dingler underwent right elbow arthroscopy to remove loose bodies… According to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are in active trade talks with the Marlins to acquire right-hander Edward Cabrera… Right-hander J.P. France is dealing with shoulder inflammation that has put him behind schedule… Jacob deGrom (elbow) has already started to throw in his return from surgery from Tommy John surgery… Astros manager Joe Espada confirmed that left-hander Josh Hader will be the team’s primary closer… Athletics signed reliever Scott Alexander to major league contract… According to Red Sox president of baseball operations Craig Breslow, reliever Kenley Jansen has his throwing program on pause due to “general lat soreness.”... Tarik Skubal has been “tinkering with his slider and curveball” in the offseason, according to Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold…Giants C Blake Sabol will apparently fill more of a utility role this spring, including taking reps at first base... During a press conference, Mets SP Kodai Senga hinted that he could be adding to his pitching arsenal for the 2024 season… Orioles acquired OF Peyton Burdick from the Marlins for cash considerations… Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that reliever Scott Effross had back surgery in December and won’t pitch until the summer… Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Jose Trevino had a calf strain a couple weeks ago and will miss the first couple spring training games… Nationals manager Dave Martinez said that Mason Thompson has an elbow injury that happened during the winter and they’ll take it slow with Thompson… Yankees acquired LHP Clayton Andrews from the Brewers for RHP Joshua Quezada… Right-hander Josh Winder is delayed at the start of spring training due to recovery from a scapula stress fracture…. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said starting pitching prospect Jackson Jobe will not make the team out of camp… Red Sox manager Alex Cora said the team’s outfield alignment and roster make-up will hinge on the development of centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela… Reid Detmers said he spent the offseason refining his mechanics and fixing his slider as he looks to build more consistency in 2024… Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said reliever Kevin Ginkel is dealing with elbow soreness… Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says he doesn’t expect right-hander Drey Jameson to pitch in 2024… Joey Wentz will compete for a bullpen spot and not be stretched out with the starters in camp… John Means is a month behind his throwing schedule with an elbow injury despite Orioles GM Mike Elias saying Means would be “full go” for camp last October… Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that Brayan Bello is way ahead of where he was when he reported to camp last season… Gerrit Cole told reporters that the team needs to find ways to stay healthy this season… Edwin Diaz made significant progress in his rehab when he threw against batters for the first time in almost nearly a year… Nick Lodolo is still progressing from a leg injury suffered last season, but feels great after throwing a bullpen session… Alex Young experienced back tightness during bullpen work and will be sidelined from his throwing schedule until further evaluation… The Braves want newly acquired Jarred Kelenic to be in the line up in every game rather than start out in a platoon this season… Francisco Lindor told reporters he played through a lot of pain last season, but is fully healthy heading into 2024… Ken Waldichuk (elbow) has been cleared to play catch and should begin throwing soon… Michael Kopech has come to spring training 20 pounds lighter as he recovers from knee surgery… Starting pitching prospect Sam Bachman expects to miss the first month of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in the fall… Orioles general manager Mike Elias said that catching prospect Samuel Basallo has a right elbow stress fracture… According to MLB.com’s Jake Rill, Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin are “likely front-runners” for the Orioles’ final two rotation spots… Gunnar Henderson is dealing with an oblique injury that will delay his spring training… Kyle Bradish will start the season in the injured list while dealing with a UCL sprain… According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, free agent second baseman Whit Merrifield is moving closer to a decision and is expected to agree to terms by the end of the weekend… Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed earlier reports that starting pitcher Alek Manoah “is in a really good spot right now.”… Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed that newly-signed Yariel Rodriguez will be a starting pitcher for them… Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Davis Schneider (no relation) has been working in the outfield… Blue Jays manager John Schneider mentioned Cavan Biggio, Santiago Espinal, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa as the competition for second base this spring… White Sox signed INF Mike Moustakas to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training… Astros acquired OF Oliver Carrillo from the Padres for international bonus pool money… Yankees placed OF Jasson Domínguez on the 60-day injured list… Yankees signed RHP Lou Trivino to a one-year, $1.25 million contract… Phillies designated RHP McKinley Moore for assignment… Phillies signed RHP Spencer Turnbull to a one-year, $2 million contract…Packy Naughton (forearm) has already been throwing in Cardinals’ camp with the expectation that he’ll be ready to return at some point in May… Rangers’ general manager Chris Young told reporters on Wednesday that the team is unlikely to make any notable additions to the roster before the season begins… Giants placed LHP Robbie Ray on the 60-day injured list… Giants signed RHP Austin Warren to a one-year contract… Andy Martino of SNY reports that the Yankees have reached an agreement to bring back free agent right-hander Lou Trivino… Athletics signed OF Stephen Piscotty to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training…Rays placed LHP Shane McClanahan on the 60-day injured list… Rays signed RHP Phil Maton to a one-year, $6.5 million contract… Luis Arraez lost his arbitration case against the Marlins and will earn $10.6 million for the 2024 season… Outfielder Taylor Ward says he feels 100 percent healthy after being hit in the face during a game last summer… Yankees manager Aaron Boone said infielder DJ LeMahieu looks healthy heading into 2024.