Reports: Former Cub Jorge Soler signs 3-year deal with Giants
Reports: Former Cub Jorge Soler signs 3-year deal with Giants originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Breaking some of the silence in what has been a slow-moving MLB offseason, free agent slugger, former Cub and two-time World Series champion Jorge Soler appears to be headed to the Bay Area, according to MLB insider Mike Rodriguez and Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
El acuerdo del Jugador Más Valioso de la Serie Mundial #JorgeSoler con los #Gigantes es un contrato de 3 años como dijo @susanslusser. Me dice mi fuente que son $42 millones de dólares. pic.twitter.com/uRtx1XMI8T
— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) February 13, 2024
The contract, reportedly worth $42 million over three years, gives the soon-to-be 32-year-old the three-year contract he was seeking as the Giants hope he brings much of what he showcased in his 2023 season.
Soler was a first-time All-Star last season, hitting 36 home runs while managing a 126 OPS+, showcasing power that would be greatly effective in a Giants lineup that noticeably lacked it in 2023.
A former top prospect with the Cubs who signed a nine-year, $30 million deal with the North Siders after defecting from Cuba, Soler debuted at the MLB level in 2014 and started his career with a bang, homering in his first-ever MLB at-bat while posting a 146 OPS+ in 24 games.
Soler hit at around a league-average level in 2015, but grabbed headlines in that year's postseason, going 9-for-19 with three home runs and six walks in seven playoff games.
After winning the World Series with the Cubs in 2016 as a role player, Soler was traded to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for All-Star closer Wade Davis.
Despite scuffling through two injury-ridden seasons in 2017 and 2018, Soler emerged as the AL's premier power hitter in 2019, playing in every single game while launching a franchise-record 48 home runs.
Soler's up-and-down career continued from there, hitting at around league-average in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before struggling for much 2021 prior to getting traded at the deadline to the Atlanta Braves.
The right-handed slugger would go on to win the World Series MVP award with the Braves, starting off that year's Fall Classic with a home run before hitting an iconic blast in Game 6 that gave the Braves a lead they wouldn't relinquish as they went on to win the World Series.
Soler will likely primarily be a designated hitter for the Giants, but may also see some time in the corner outfield positions.
His signing leaves J.D. Martinez as the top righty DH option remaining on the market, which could force the hand on teams, such as the Cubs, who could still use an impact bat of some sort heading into Opening Day.
