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 eleventh 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.
