Giants, DH/OF Jorge Soler reportedly agree to 3-year, $42 million contract
The San Francisco Giants have finally added another bat to their roster.
According to multiple reports, the Giants and outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler have agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract. He was No. 21 on Yahoo Sports' list of this winter's top free agents.
Soler, who will turn 32 at the end of February, is heading into his 11th year in the majors. With the Miami Marlins in 2023, he hit 36 home runs, the second-highest total of his career, on a .250/.341/.512 batting line.
He played in more than 100 games for just the fourth time in his career and had his best season since 2019, when he played in all 162 games and hit an AL-leading 48 home runs for the Kansas City Royals.
A guy like that is just who the Giants need right now because their 2023 season was essentially one long power outage. As a team, they hit just 174 home runs, 19th in the majors, and finished with the 27th-ranked slugging percentage at .383. They need a power boost if they hope to compete with teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies for one of the National League wild-card spots in 2024. (Playing in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers unfortunately means there's little chance the Giants will win the NL West.)
The Giants' offseason didn't go as well as most fans hoped. The team landed KBO outfielder Jung Hoo Lee in December, which was certainly positive, but beyond that, there hasn't been much for fans to get excited about or even feel hopeful for. Until they signed Soler, the Giants hadn't done much to upgrade their thoroughly mediocre 2023 roster.
Soler won't change everything, but he's a solid addition who will bring some much-needed pop to the lineup.
