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The Los Angeles Angels continue to clean house.
Jorge Soler, a former World Series MVP in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, was designated for assignment on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Mike Rodriguez first broke the news, which the Angels later made official.
The move comes one day after a busy trade deadline that saw the Halos sell for the first time in several years, moving José Soriano, Jo Adell and relievers Brent Suter, Ryan Zeferjahn and Kirby Yates for a haul of prospects headlined by 20-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala, ranked No. 43 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100. Earlier in the week, catcher Logan O'Hoppe and reliever Chase Silseth were traded to the Texas Rangers for third base prospect Angel Arredondo.
"I’m excited about what we're able to accomplish today," interim general manager John Mozeliak told reporters after the deadline on Monday. "We knew that things had to be different. The direction of where the franchise was going needed to change, and this was an opportunity during the trade deadline to do just that."
That new direction ultimately did not include Soler, either. According Francys Romero, the Halos were reportedly engaged in discussions with the New York Yankees about a trade where Soler and Adell came up as possibilities. Those talks, however, never came to fruition. Adell was traded to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday and Soler now heads to the waiver wire.
Soler, a 34-year-old Cuban outfielder and DH, is in the final year of a three-year, $42 million contract he originally signed with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2024 season. He was traded back to the Braves at that year's deadline, and the Angels acquired him on Oct. 31, 2024 in a trade that sent pitcher Griffin Canning to Atlanta.
Traditionally a power hitter, Soler's numbers declined significantly over the last two years. He slashed .203/.291/.373 in 361 plate appearances over 86 games with the Halos this season and carried a career-worst .664 OPS. He's never been the type of player to draw walks, but his walk rate in each of the last two seasons dipped into single digits while his strikeout rate has shot up to 32.7%, the highest of his career outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season; his 118 punchouts in 2026 are 11th-most in the American League.
He's struggled to put his bat on the ball with a 65.7% contact rate, third-worst in all of baseball among players with at least 300 plate appearances. And even when he does make contact, he's lacked the pop that helped him lead the Braves to a championship five years ago and made him an All-Star with the Miami Marlins three years ago. Soler's expected batting average of .206 ranks in the bottom 4% among big leaguers.
That said, Soler will still likely find a home, after he clears waivers, on a contender in need of a bat in October. With a career .389 OBP and 1.027 OPS in the playoffs, his history in the postseason is just too enticing for somebody not to take a flier on.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angels continue summer cleanse: DFA Jorge Soler
Continue reading...
Jorge Soler, a former World Series MVP in 2021 with the Atlanta Braves, was designated for assignment on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Mike Rodriguez first broke the news, which the Angels later made official.
The move comes one day after a busy trade deadline that saw the Halos sell for the first time in several years, moving José Soriano, Jo Adell and relievers Brent Suter, Ryan Zeferjahn and Kirby Yates for a haul of prospects headlined by 20-year-old shortstop Arjun Nimmala, ranked No. 43 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100. Earlier in the week, catcher Logan O'Hoppe and reliever Chase Silseth were traded to the Texas Rangers for third base prospect Angel Arredondo.
"I’m excited about what we're able to accomplish today," interim general manager John Mozeliak told reporters after the deadline on Monday. "We knew that things had to be different. The direction of where the franchise was going needed to change, and this was an opportunity during the trade deadline to do just that."
That new direction ultimately did not include Soler, either. According Francys Romero, the Halos were reportedly engaged in discussions with the New York Yankees about a trade where Soler and Adell came up as possibilities. Those talks, however, never came to fruition. Adell was traded to the Cleveland Guardians on Monday and Soler now heads to the waiver wire.
Soler, a 34-year-old Cuban outfielder and DH, is in the final year of a three-year, $42 million contract he originally signed with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2024 season. He was traded back to the Braves at that year's deadline, and the Angels acquired him on Oct. 31, 2024 in a trade that sent pitcher Griffin Canning to Atlanta.
Traditionally a power hitter, Soler's numbers declined significantly over the last two years. He slashed .203/.291/.373 in 361 plate appearances over 86 games with the Halos this season and carried a career-worst .664 OPS. He's never been the type of player to draw walks, but his walk rate in each of the last two seasons dipped into single digits while his strikeout rate has shot up to 32.7%, the highest of his career outside of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season; his 118 punchouts in 2026 are 11th-most in the American League.
He's struggled to put his bat on the ball with a 65.7% contact rate, third-worst in all of baseball among players with at least 300 plate appearances. And even when he does make contact, he's lacked the pop that helped him lead the Braves to a championship five years ago and made him an All-Star with the Miami Marlins three years ago. Soler's expected batting average of .206 ranks in the bottom 4% among big leaguers.
That said, Soler will still likely find a home, after he clears waivers, on a contender in need of a bat in October. With a career .389 OBP and 1.027 OPS in the playoffs, his history in the postseason is just too enticing for somebody not to take a flier on.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Angels continue summer cleanse: DFA Jorge Soler
Continue reading...
