Giants To Sign Jorge Soler

The Giants have agreed to a three-year cope with free agent designated hitter/outfielder Jorge Soler, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The settlement is pending a bodily. Soler is a consumer of the MVP Sports activities Group.

Talks between Soler and the Giants have been happening for at the very least the previous week. As of this morning, the Giants had been nonetheless reported to be within the combine however had balked at Soler’s request for a 3rd assured season. That, it appears, has modified over the course of the day.

Soler, 32, opted out of the ultimate season of his three-year, $36MM cope with the Marlins again in November after belting 36 house runs whereas hitting .250/.341/.512 on the season (126 wRC+). Soler posted the second-best stroll and strikeout charges of his profession at 11.4% and 24.3%, respectively, and Statcast pegged him within the 81st percentile or higher in common exit velocity, hard-hit charge and barrel charge.

It’s the kind of energy profile that the Giants have lacked in recent times. The 2023 Giants ranked nineteenth within the Majors in house runs (174), twenty fourth in runs scored (674), twenty eighth in common (.235), twenty fourth in on-base share (.312) and twenty seventh in slugging share (.383). The Giants notoriously haven’t had a participant ship a 30-homer season since Barry Bonds in 2004, they usually’ve solely had one 20-homer hitter of their lineup in every of the previous two seasons (Joc Pederson with 23 in 2022 and Wilmer Flores with 23 final yr).

Soler brings a completely totally different model of energy. Final yr’s 36 massive flies had been solely the second-most he’s hit in a season. Soler paced the American League with 48 homers for the Royals again in 2019, and whereas accidents have restricted him to simply two 30-homer seasons in his profession, he’s averaged 32 homers per 162 video games performed in his profession. Relationship again to that 2019 breakout, Soler ranks seventeenth amongst 302 certified hitters with a .248 remoted energy mark (slugging minus batting common). Total, he’s batted .240/.331/.488 throughout that point.

The trail Soler takes to get to his manufacturing isn’t probably the most simple. He’s a streaky hitter in-season and a risky one from a year-to-year standpoint, together with his 2019 and 2023 output teetering on wonderful whereas his 2022 numbers had been decidedly beneath common. Even within the 2021 season that noticed Soler catch fireplace following a commerce to Atlanta and go on to be named World Sequence MVP, he was hitting simply .198/.288/.377 in 360 plate appearances on the time Kansas Metropolis traded him. He slashed .269/.358/.524 following the change of surroundings. A 3-year cope with Soler figures to return with its share of peaks and valleys, however he’s the kind of bat who can near-singlehandedly carry a lineup for temporary stretches, given his top-of-the-scale energy.

Although he has loads of expertise within the outfield corners, Soler isn’t more likely to see a lot time there in San Francisco. His defensive grades have proceed to say no over time, and the Marlins solely performed him sparingly in proper area — together with simply 241 innings final yr. Soler has solely twice reached 500 defensive innings performed in a season. He’ll function the Giants’ major designated hitter, although it’s doable he’ll make occasional appearances in left or proper area.

That’s significantly true on condition that Soler does provide a pleasant right-handed complement to left-handed nook outfielders like Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski. Manufacturing in opposition to left-handed pitchers, particularly, was an issue for the 2023 Giants (.245/.306/.376). Soler’s mammoth .277/.393/.688 output in opposition to lefties final yr represents an unlimited enhance to San Francisco in such conditions.

Including Soler to the lineup seemingly cuts into the taking part in time for J.D. Davis and/or Wilmer Flores in opposition to right-handed opponents, however that’s a trio of potent right-handed bats to have the ability to trot out in opposition to opposing southpaws. New backup catcher Tom Murphy (profession 126 wRC+ in opposition to lefties) ought to assist in that regard as properly, as will a full season of switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey, who feasted off lefties however struggled in opposition to righties. Broadly talking, the San Francisco lineup appears to be like much more outfitted to deal with left-handed pitching than final yr’s membership.

Whereas the monetary phrases haven’t but come to gentle, the payroll query shouldn’t be a difficulty for the Giants. Previous to the cope with Soler, San Francisco’s tough $155MM payroll was greater than $33MM from their 2023 ranges and greater than 46MM south of the workforce’s franchise-record payroll ranges. Even when Giants possession isn’t prepared to set a brand new highwater mark on participant payroll, there’d be room so as to add each Soler and one other high-profile free agent. To that finish, it’s price noting that the Giants have been linked to high-profile names like Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery in current weeks. A cope with Soler shouldn’t preclude them from persevering with these pursuits.