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Jorge Soler

Free Agent Notes: Rodon, Kikuchi, Correa, Soler

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News of the finally-ratified Collective Bargaining Agreement is dominating headlines, with good reason, but some free agent leads had quietly emerged during the final hours of CBA negotiations. Notably, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees had requested and received medicals for free agent pitchers Carlos Rodon and Yusei Kikuchi prior to the lockout. Heyman notes that the Yankees have received the medicals of free agent shortstop Carlos Correa as well, though disclaims that the team already has “two good shortstop prospects”, referring to touted youngsters Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.

It has been speculated for some time that the Yankees minor league depth may impede their run at baseball’s top free agent, but their interest in Rodon and Kikuchi appears more straightforward. Despite possessing a high-upside stable of arms behind Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery, the Bronx rotation has no shortage of risk baked into it. Signing either Rodon or Kikuchi would add a similar high-risk, high-reward pitcher to the mix however, as these free agent targets dealt with injury and ineffectiveness down the stretch, respectively. Still, with a much higher luxury tax threshold to work with clubs like the Yankees are further incentivized to sign as many playoff-caliber arms as they can to see who sticks.

Some more free agent leads to usher in the post-lockout world…

  • Piggybacking off of Heyman’s tweet, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reports that the Twins have received medicals on Rodon and Kikuchi as well. Per Wolfson, the Twins are still searching for “multiple arms, starters and relievers” which should come as little surprise to fans who have followed Minnesota’s offseason to date. A Rodon signing would likely represent an uncharacteristically large splash for the Twins, though it should be noted they’ve shown interest in high-risk pitchers in the past, to say nothing of their interest in Rodon last offseason.
  • Another free agent generating buzz is Jorge Soler, who Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports has received interest from more than six clubs. Now that the universal DH has been implemented Feinsand speculates that Soler will see his list of suitors grow. That theory certainly checks out on paper, as Soler has sported a useful 117 OPS+ since 2019, though his glovework during that same stretch has been decidedly below average.

Free Agent Faceoff: Jorge Soler Vs. Eddie Rosario

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The Braves’ midseason outfield reconstruction has been well-documented. Jorge Soler, Eddie Rosario and — to a lesser extent — Joc Pederson and Adam Duvall all performed at a high level after being acquired in seemingly minor deals in advance of the trade deadline, a haul that helped Atlanta to a World Series title.

Only Duvall remains on the roster, though, with each of Soler, Rosario and Pederson having qualified for free agency at the end of the season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see someone from that group eventually return, but all thirty clubs will have a chance to pursue that trio whenever the lockout comes to an end.

Soler and Rosario, in particular, profile as two of the most intriguing remaining free agent outfielders. Both players began the year in the AL Central — Soler in Kansas City, Rosario in Cleveland. Neither played particularly well at their initial stop, and Atlanta acquired them in separate deadline day swaps that cost them only cash and one prospect: Kasey Kalich.

Yet both players flipped the script with a strong couple months in Atlanta. Soler hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs across 242 regular season plate appearances with the Braves, offensive output that was 32 percentage points above average by measure of wRC+. Rosario only tallied 106 trips to the dish down the stretch — he was on the injured list at the time of his trade — but his .271/.330/.573 mark in that time checked in 33 points above the league average.

Both players also had great postseasons, although Soler’s was briefly interrupted by a positive COVID-19 test. Rosario hit three homers in 28 plate appearances during the NLCS en route to series MVP honors in a win over the Dodgers. Soler claimed the World Series MVP by hitting a trio of longballs against the Astros during the following set.

Soler’s and Rosario’s heroics were enough to cement their places in Braves lore. Teams now considering a free agent pursuit of either have to determine what to expect moving forward, though. Regarding both players, that’s a difficult question, considering their up-and-down track records before they landed in Atlanta.

Soler, 30 in February, has been a prototypical three-true-outcomes slugger for much of his career. His massive power made him a top prospect, and while it took a few seasons for him to settle in as a regular, Soler demonstrated the offensive upside that had made him so highly touted between 2018-19. Over those two seasons, the right-handed slugger hit .265/.354/.541 (132 wRC+) despite playing his home games in Kansas City’s spacious Kauffman Stadium. His 48 home runs the latter year paced the American League, and those power results were backed up by top-of-the-scale batted ball metrics.

Jorge Soler

In addition to that huge power, Soler rarely chases pitches outside the strike zone. He’s walked at an above-average clip in each season since 2016. That’s an impressive combination upon which to build, but Soler also has real swing-and-miss concerns. Aside from a 24-game showing as a rookie, Soler has never had a season in which he’s made contact on even 70% of his swings; the 2021 league average, for reference, was 76.1%.

With that swing-and-miss comes a high strikeout rate that can tank Soler’s batting averages when things aren’t going well. Between the start of 2020 and this past summer’s trade deadline, he compiled 534 plate appearances of .204/.300/.394 hitting. That includes an awful .192/.288/.370 mark with the Royals in 2021, a bad enough first half that each of FanGraphs and Baseball Reference actually pegged Soler’s overall work this past season as below replacement level even after accounting for his late-season turnaround.

That also hints at another red flag in Soler’s game: his defense. Public metrics have long pegged him as a well below-average corner outfielder, and he spent a decent chunk of time at designated hitter in Kansas City. The potential implementation of the universal DH in collective bargaining talks could expand Soler’s market, but clubs are increasingly wary of committing everyday DH at-bats to players unless they’re an elite middle-of-the-order presence. Soler has been that caliber of hitter over a full season in 2019. He finished 2021 on an absolute tear. Yet the intervening season and a half were quite poor, and Soler doesn’t have the defensive profile to remain valuable even as he’s in a slump offensively.

Rosario’s defensive track record is also a bit spotty, but public metrics have generally been more enthused with his work than with Soler’s. He’s limited to the corners — primarily left field — but he shouldn’t need to see too much time at DH over the next couple years. But Rosario has never matched Soler’s 2018-19 offensive peak, at least not over a full season. The 30-year-old posted solid numbers each season from 2017-20 with the Twins, but he’s never had a season with a wRC+ more than 17 points above league average.

Rosario doesn’t come with swing-and-miss concerns; he’s made contact at a solid rate five years running. And while he doesn’t have elite power, he’s certainly capable of making an impact at the plate. The left-handed hitter has three seasons with 24+ homers on his resume, and he typically posts exit velocities and hard contact rates a bit above the respective league marks.

Eddie Rosario

Yet Rosario’s offensive ceiling has been capped by how often he swings. He’s one of the league’s most aggressive hitters, an approach that leads to a consistently low walk rate. Rosario only has one season under his belt (2017) with an on-base percentage higher than the league mark, with teams obviously worried about that profile.

Last offseason, Rosario (who had been projected for an arbitration salary in the $8.6MM to $12.9MM range) was passed through outright waivers and non-tendered by Minnesota. He began the 2021 campaign with just a .254/.296/.389 mark over 306 plate appearances with the Indians. His stint in Atlanta was great, but that came over a comparatively small tally of 174 trips to the plate, even including the playoffs.

Each of Soler and Rosario present an interesting evaluation for teams. They’re coming off excellent second halves that carried over into fantastic postseasons. Yet each player is less than six months removed from rather significant struggles on non-contending clubs. For teams looking to address their corner outfield situations in free agency yet unwilling to spend at the level it’d take to land Nick Castellanos or Kyle Schwarber, Soler and Rosario could each be targets coming out of the transactions freeze. Which player should land the loftier contract?

(poll link for app users)

 

Braves Activate Jorge Soler

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Outfielder Jorge Soler has been cleared by the MLB Joint Health and Safety Committee to return to the Braves active roster, the club announced. He’s active for tonight’s NLCS Game 5, with Cristian Pache removed from the active roster in a corresponding move. Soler is not in the Braves’ starting lineup but will be available off the bench.

Soler had been ineligible since Game 4 of the Braves’ NLDS matchup with the Brewers, when he was removed from the team’s starting lineup only a few hours before first pitch. He was later confirmed to have received a positive COVID test and to have entered isolation. Defensive whiz Pache replaced him on the Braves’ roster for that series and was again designated as Soler’s replacement on their NLCS roster.

Still only two years removed from leading the AL with 48 home runs in 2019, Soler has experienced something of a renaissance since moving to the Braves at the trade deadline. After posting a measly .192/.288/.370 line across 94 games with the Royals, the 29-year-old regained his form with the bat, putting up a .269/.358/.524 triple-slash in 55 games as the Braves’ primary right fielder. He moved into the leadoff spot for the Braves in September and had remained there for the team’s first three games against the Brewers. Eddie Rosario and Dansby Swanson have served as the Braves’ leadoff hitter in Soler’s absence.

How Braves manager Brian Snitker plans to use Soler moving forward remains to be seen, though Snitker has described Soler as “ready to go” and as “a nice weapon off the bench” tonight (via Jeff Schultz of The Athletic). Indeed, his return clearly strengthens a bench that had been relying on light-hitting utilityman Ehire Adrianza as its top pinch-hitting option. Soler’s absence had actually solved something of a dilemma for Snitker; outfielders Rosario and Joc Pederson have both had wildly productive postseasons, and neither is considered a viable defensive alternative to Adam Duvall (the 2021 NL RBI champ) in center field.

Should the Braves advance to the World Series, Soler will likely be Snitker’s first choice at DH, his primary position in Kansas City. How the outfield would shake out for games played in Atlanta — or, indeed, for potential Games 6 and 7 against the Dodgers — remains very much an open question. Pederson had been the odd man out for the first three games of the Milwaukee series, while Rosario was left out of the starting lineup for Game 4. A glut of productive outfielders is, of course, an enviable problem for the Braves to face, but it does make Snitker’s job a bit more complicated.

Though the Braves managed to build their present 3-1 series lead over the Dodgers without him, Soler — alongside fellow mid-season additions Pederson, Rosario, and Duvall — played a major role in turning around what had appeared to be a lost season in Atlanta after losing Ronald Acuña Jr. to a torn ACL on July 10. With their fully remade outfield, the Braves went 37-20 after the deadline en route to securing their fourth consecutive NL East title.

Braves Add Chris Martin, Johan Camargo To NLCS Roster

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The Braves enter tonight’s NLCS a little more well-rested than their counterparts from LA. Having finished the Brewers off in four games, the Braves are able to set their rotation as desired with ace Max Fried taking the ball in game one. After that, Charlie Morton and Ian Anderson will be ready for games two and three, though not in that order, as the Braves are giving Morton an additional day of rest to start game three. That also allows Anderson the more favorable home crowd in game two.

On the offensive end, Jorge Soler remains on the COVID-19 list. He could return sometime during this series if he’s cleared, but they’d have to remove Cristian Pache, who took his roster spot in the NLDS, notes The Athletic’s David O’Brien (via Twitter). The rest of their NLCS roster lays out thusly…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Essentially, the Braves have chosen to swap out Dylan Lee and Terrance Gore in favor of Chris Martin and Johan Camargo. Pache also remains on the roster for the time being, with Soler expected to miss the entire series. The Braves are rolling with just a 12-man pitching staff while keeping six bats on the bench.

In Soler’s spot, Pache will likely be used as a defensive replacement. He could also be used as a pinch-runner now that Gore has been left off. Gore made his first appearance of the season for the Braves in the NLDS, though keeping the speedster on the roster is a bit of a luxury.

In his place, Camargo provides greater flexibility with the glove. Camargo saw his role diminish more than ever this season, stepping to the plate just 18 times without recording a hit during the regular season. The baseball gods surely have primed Camargo for a significant plate appearance at some point during the NLCS.

Lee was a surprising addition to the NLDS roster, and he did not appear against the Brewers. Martin brings much more experience in what’s sure to be a high-pressure series against the Dodgers. Without Lee, the Braves still have the M&Ms Matzek and Minter as southpaws ahead of their lefty closer Smith, as well as Smyly, though the latter is the most likely option to start game four in Los Angeles. Should Smyly come in handy out of the pen early in the series, Ynoa is certainly capable of starting game four in his place.

Jorge Soler Tests Positive For COVID-19; Cristian Pache Added To Braves’ NLDS Roster

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Braves outfielder Jorge Soler has been removed from his team’s NLDS roster due to a positive test for COVID-19, the league announced.  Cristian Pache has been approved as a substitute to take Soler’s spot on the roster.  Soler will be allowed to return the club once he clears COVID protocols.

The news comes less than two hours before the Braves look to close out the Brewers in Game 4 of their NLDS series.  Soler had been announced as Atlanta’s starting right fielder and leadoff hitter in the game, but the revised lineup now sees Joc Pederson slide from left field to right, Adam Duvall from center to left field, and Guillermo Heredia (batting eighth) added as the new starter in center.

Soler will be quarantined for at least five days, as per David O’Brien of The Athletic (Twitter link), and he has to cleared as non-infectious by a four-person joint health and safety committee (two doctors, and one representative each from the league and the players’ union).  If he is able to return after only that five-day minimum, Soler would possibly be in line to play by Game 2 of the National League Championship Series if the Braves advance past Milwaukee.

It has been a tough postseason for Soler, who has only one hit in 13 NLDS plate appearances.  Nonetheless, the veteran was a big reason why Atlanta won the NL East in the first place, as Soler hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs over 242 PA after being acquired from the Royals in a trade deadline deal.  Soler had struggled over the first four months of the season, so his re-emergence with the Braves will surely help the 29-year-old’s case in free agency this winter.

The bigger issue at hand for the moment, however, is that the Braves now have a significant hole in their lineup.  The trio of Pederson, Duvall, and Eddie Rosario (along with Soler, all midseason pickups) now projects as Atlanta’s first-choice outfield, with Heredia, Pache, Terrance Gore, and utilitymen Ehire Adrianza and Orlando Arcia all providing additional depth.

Braves Option Orlando Arcia, Sean Newcomb

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Deadline acquisitions Richard Rodriguez and Jorge Soler are in Atlanta and active for tonight’s ballgame, per the team. To make room for their arrival, Orlando Arcia and Sean Newcomb have been optioned to Triple-A.

Arcia came over from the Brewers midseason and had mostly played left field for the Braves — his first outfield appearances in the Majors save for one game in center last season. Arcia doesn’t carry enough bat to hold down the position long-term, however, and the Braves added Soler, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall to go along with Joc Pederson in the outfield corners. Arcia hit just .204/.264/.347 in 53 appearances with the Braves.

Newcomb has been up and down this season. Despite a 5.68 ERA, however, he has a 3.79 FIP in 25 1/3 innings in the Majors with a career-best 27.3 percent strikeout rate and career-worst 17.4 percent walk rate. Because Newcomb has already been optioned this season, he’s an obvious candidate for the demotion here, with only Edgar Santana as the only other real option from the Braves’ veteran bullpen.

Rodriguez saved 14 games for the Pirates this season, but he was acquired to step into a setup role in Atlanta. That’s a role Rodriguez is familiar with, as he had just five career saves coming into this season.

Soler’s usage, too, will be an issue worth monitoring in Atlanta. The slugger doesn’t offer much with the glove and therefore fits awkwardly as an everyday player on a National League club. He has struggled mightily at the plate as well this season, slashing just .192/.288/.370. That said, he is just two years removed from leading the American League with 48 home runs in 2019.

Braves To Acquire Jorge Soler

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The Braves have acquired outfielder Jorge Soler from the Royals, reports MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweets that Kansas City will receiver minor league right-hander Kasey Kalich in return.

In the wake of Ronald Acuna’s season-ending ACL tear and Marcell Ozuna’s dislocated fingers and subsequent domestic violence arrest, Braves President, Baseball Operations & General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has remade his outfield by acquiring Soler, Joc Pederson, Eddie Rosario, and Adam Duvall in trades.  Despite being a game below .500, the Braves are only four games out in the NL East.

Soler, 29, has logged 46 games in right field this year while serving as a DH in 44.  As you might expect from the time spent at DH, Soler is not known for his defensive chops.  His best year came in 2019, when he shook off a history of injuries to play in 162 games and post a 136 wRC+ with 48 home runs in 679 plate appearances.  Soler has fallen on hard times since then, with a 90 wRC+ in 534 PA.  His bat seems to have come alive in his last 14 games, with seven home runs during that span.  Soler is earning $8.05MM this year, and it’s unclear if the Royals are picking up any of the tab.  He’s due for free agency after the season.

Signed to a nine-year, $30MM deal out of Cuba by the Cubs back in 2012, Soler came to the Royals in the December 2016 Wade Davis deal.  Oddly, he’s one of six key members of the 2016 Cubs to be traded in the last few days, along with Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jon Lester, and Kyle Schwarber.

Kalich, a 23-year-old righty reliever, has a 3.26 ERA, 24.6 K%, and 12.0 BB% in 30 1/3 High-A innings this year.  Baseball America gave him a 45 grade prior to the season, noting that Kalich “overwhelms hitters with a powerful two-pitch combination” and “has the stuff to pitch in late relief.”

Injury Notes: Chisholm, Duvall, Soler, Garcia

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Two Marlins regulars are nursing injuries, as Jazz Chisholm has missed four games due to an ankle sprain and Adam Duvall has missed games due to soreness in his left side.  Manager Don Mattingly indicated to reporters that both players were being held out largely due to precautionary reasons, noting that “if we weren’t being conservative, I think [Chisholm] probably could have played today.”  Chisholm spent just shy of three weeks on the injured list earlier this season after suffering a hamstring strain, and the Marlins are naturally being careful to ensure that their young star isn’t lost for another extended amount of time.

Chisholm is hitting .286/.350/.486 with five home runs and nine stolen bases over 117 PA this season.  Duvall hasn’t been performing as well (.213/.257/.425 in 171 plate appearances) at the plate, but the veteran has provided some extra utility in the field by playing respectable defense over 53 innings as a fill-in center fielder.  Mattingly described Duvall as already feeling “better” by Saturday, so it’s possible Duvall could be back in the lineup for Sunday’s game with the Red Sox.

More injury updates from around baseball…

  • Jorge Soler left today’s 6-5 Royals loss to the Twins after the first inning due to right groin discomfort.  An injury would further damper what has already been a rough season for Soler, who is hitting just .178/.257/.314 with four home runs over his first 195 plate appearances.  Soler’s last full season in 2019 saw him lead the American League with 48 homers while batting .265/.354/.569 in 679 PA.
  • Nationals infielder Luis Garcia will receive an MRI after suffering an on-field hamstring cramp prior to the third inning of the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader with the Brewers.  While warming up before the inning, a cramp that had bothered Garcia earlier in the game suddenly forced him to the ground, and he had to be helped off the field.  Garcia has spent much of the season at Triple-A, at Washington’s alternate training site, or on the big league taxi squad, and was just called back up to the active roster earlier this week.

AL Notes: Eloy, Royals, Tigers, Rangers, Rowdy

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White Sox left fielder Eloy Jimenez suffered a mid-foot sprain on Thursday, and the club doesn’t expect to have him for its season-ending series against the Cubs, manager Rick Renteria told Scott Merkin of MLB.com and other reporters. It’s unknown whether an early playoff return is in jeopardy for Jimenez, who has helped the White Sox to a 34-23 record and a postseason berth with his stellar offensive output. The 23-year-old’s regular season concluded with a .296/.332/.559 line and 14 home runs in 226 trips to the plate.

  • The Royals have placed reliever Greg Holland and outfielder Jorge Soler on the 10-day injured list with oblique strains, per a team announcement. They reinstated reliever Ian Kennedy from the IL and recalled first baseman/outfielder Ryan McBroom in corresponding transactions. The season’s now officially over for Holland, who enjoyed a major bounce-back year in his return to KC after signing a minor league deal in the offseason, as well as Soler. A 48-home run hitter a season ago, Soler totaled eight in 173 plate appearances this year and finished with a .228/.326/.443 line. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the final time during the offseason.
  • Tigers third baseman Jeimer Candelario is done for the year, as the club announced that it has placed him on the 10-day IL with a low back strain. Candelario, whom the Tigers acquired from the Cubs in 2017, made notable strides in 2020. The switch-hitting 26-year-old significantly upped his hard-contact rate en route to a .297/.369/.503 mark and seven homers in 206 PA. He leads all Tigers in fWAR with 1.6.
  • The Rangers will be looking for starters in the offseason, especially if they trade Lance Lynn, but it doesn’t appear reliever Jonathan Hernandez will fill any voids in their rotation in 2021. Hernandez informed the Rangers that he’d rather stay in the bullpen next year than transition to a starting role, TR Sullivan of MLB.com tweets. The rookie Hernandez has been one of the main bright spots this season for Texas, with which the 24-year-old has posted a 2.51 ERA/2.49 FIP and registered 9.42 K/9 against 1.57 BB/9 across 28 2/3 innings. Hernandez has averaged almost 98 mph on his fastball along the way.
  • The Blue Jays don’t expect first baseman/designated hitter Rowdy Tellez to be ready for the wild-card playoff round, GM Ross Atkins told Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet and other reporters. Tellez has been on the IL with a right knee strain since Sept. 9. He put up a career-best .283/.346/.540 line with eight homers in 127 plate appearances before then.

Royals Place Jorge Soler On IL

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The Kansas City Royals announced that outfielder Jorge Soler has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Matt Reynolds has been recalled to take his roster spot.

Soler has not appeared in a game since Saturday. The Royals had hoped he’d heal enough from a few days off, but they still hope to get him back before the end of the season. Soler hasn’t quite lived up to the ceiling he set in 2019, but he’s remained a power threat in the middle of the Royals’ order. He owns a triple slash of .235/.331/.456 on the year over 159 plate appearances with 8 long balls and a still-robust .221 ISO.

Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom have served as designated hitter the last two games. The Royals are likely to cycle different players through the role as long as Soler is out, using the spot to semi-rest regulars like Hunter Dozier, O’Hearn, or Maikel Franco.

Reynolds is a 29-year-old left-side infielder who’s previously appeared in the majors with the Mets and Nationals. He spent all of 2019 with the Nationals’ Triple-A club in Fresno, putting up an impressive triple slash of .295/.401/.521 with 16 home runs. It was his best season by a fair margin, but given his age, the Royals do not likely expect much from Reynolds. That said, he could be one of the players used to cycle through as designated hitter, or he could spell Franco on occasion at third.

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