The Giants have agreed to a three-year cope with designated hitter/outfielder Jorge Soler, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle experiences. The settlement is pending a bodily.
Soler’s contract with San Francisco ensures the slugger $42M, based on Mike Rodriguez.
Talks between Soler and the Giants have been happening for not less than the previous week. The Giants had balked at Soler’s request for a 3rd assured season, though it seems they’ve relented relating to that objection.
Soler, 32, opted out of the ultimate season of his three-year, $36M cope with the Marlins in November after belting 36 dwelling 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 dwelling runs (174), twenty fourth in runs scored (674), twenty eighth in common (.235), twenty fourth in on-base proportion (.312) and twenty seventh in slugging proportion (.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 an entirely completely different model of energy. Final yr’s 36 large flies have been solely the second-most he’s hit in a season. Soler paced the American League with 48 homers for the Royals again 2019, and whereas accidents have restricted him to only two 30-homer seasons in his profession, he’s averaged 32 homers per 162 video games performed. Relationship again to that 2019 breakout, Soler ranks seventeenth amongst 302 certified hitters with a .248 remoted energy mark (slugging minus batting common). General, he’s batted .240/.331/.488 throughout that point.
The trail Soler takes to get to his manufacturing isn’t essentially 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 glorious whereas his 2022 numbers have 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 prone to see a lot time there in San Francisco. His defensive grades have proceed to say no through the years, and the Marlins solely performed him sparingly in proper discipline — together with simply 241 innings final yr. Soler has solely twice reached 500 defensive innings performed in a season. He’ll function the Giants’ main designated hitter, although it’s attainable he’ll make occasional appearances in left or proper discipline.
That’s significantly true on condition that Soler does supply a pleasant right-handed complement to left-handed nook outfielders like Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski. Manufacturing towards left-handed pitchers, particularly, was an issue for the 2023 Giants (.245/.306/.376). Soler’s mammoth .277/.393/.688 output towards lefties final yr represents an infinite increase to San Francisco in such conditions.
Including Soler to the lineup possible cuts into the enjoying time for J.D. Davis and/or Wilmer Flores towards right-handed opponents, however that’s a trio of potent right-handed bats to have the ability to trot out towards opposing southpaws. New backup catcher Tom Murphy (profession 126 wRC+ towards lefties) ought to assist in that regard as effectively, as will a full season of switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey, who feasted off lefties however struggled towards righties. Broadly talking, the San Francisco lineup seems to be way more outfitted to deal with left-handed pitching than final yr’s membership.
