Jorge Soler and the San Francisco Giants are in agreement on a three-year, $42 million contract, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The right-handed slugger was one of the top remaining free agents on the market and found a home with the Giants.
This signing could help the Chicago Cubs as reports indicated that they had an interest in landing Cody Bellinger. With Soler now heading to San Francisco, Bellinger presumably lost another possible destination.
Bellinger grew up on the West Coast and could've been intrigued by playing closer to home.
The Cubs could have also been in the mix for Soler as he's an offensive player who would've made this lineup better. However, if the decisions came down to Soler and Bellinger, the former MVP is the better option.
Spring Training is right here and with no deal in place for Bellinger, it's time to get something done. With how long this has taken, Chicago's given other teams a chance to make their pitch.
The 28-year-old is coming off the best season of his career since 2019, his MVP season. He slashed .307.356/.525 with 26 home runs for the Cubs.
Bellinger proved that he can play in a city that expects a ton out of their best players, another factor that should be considered when figuring out a contract.
Agent Scott Boras doesn't seem to have any plans of taking a discount, just as he's done throughout his long career as one of the game's best agents. Chicago will either need to reach that asking price or Bellinger could be on his third team in three years.
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