Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that free agent slugger Jorge Soler has reached an agreement with the Giants on a three-year contract.
According to reports, the transaction is valued about $42 million, or $14 million on average annually. Along with Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, and J.D. Martinez, Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP, was one of the few elite position players available on the open market.
The Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Mets, and other teams have expressed interest in Soler; however, the Red Sox were first connected to him in early January and have been frequently referenced in publications regarding his market.
Theoretically, the right-handed bat (who turns 32 on February 25) would have slotted in with the team as a middle-of-the-order bat to bat between lefties Rafael Devers and Triston Casas.
For the Red Sox, Soler could have filled in at the two corner outfield positions and taken a substantial portion of at-bats at designated hitter. Boston’s very inexperienced outfield group—Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Tyler O’Neill, Rob Refsnyder, Masataka Yoshida, and possibly Ceddanne Rafaela—is expected to make the Opening Day roster when camp formally opens on Wednesday.
The Red Sox have been known to be interested in free agents, but they have been unable to sign Soler, which is a continuation of a wintertime pattern.
Prior to signing elsewhere, the Red Sox expressed interest in several free agents, including outfielder Teoscar Hernández, pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shōta Imanaga, Eduardo Rodriguez, Seth Lugo, Jordan Hicks, and Yariel Rodriguez. Soler entered the winter as the class’s No. 16 free agent, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
On MLB TR’s list, righty Lucas Giolito, who signed with the Red Sox in late December, was ranked No. 17, one position behind Soler. He’s still the only unsigned free agent who signed a multimillion-dollar contract with Boston this winter.
In 137 games with the Marlins last season, Soler hit.250 with 36 home runs, 75 RBIs, and an.853 OPS, earning a spot on the All-Star squad for the first time in his career. After playing for the Cubs, Royals, and Braves, Soler will be joining the Giants for the sixth time in his eleven-year career.
Thirteen of MLB TR’s top 50 free agents are still unsigned as spring training in Florida and Arizona gets underway. There are seasoned options Martinez, Mike Clevinger, Michael Lorenzen, Gio Urshela, Amed Rosario, Whit Merrifield, Brandon Belt, Liam Hendriks, and Tim Anderson in addition to the top four of Bellinger, Chapman, Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery.
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