Jorge Soler provides much-needed power for Giants
Jorge Soler and the San Francisco Giants had been linked for much of the offseason.
The fit made sense - the Giants ranked last in the National League in slugging percentage and OPS. Wilmer Flores was the only player on the team to hit more than 18 homers last season.
Soler, meanwhile, posted a .250/.341/.512 batting line in his 580 plate appearances, hitting 36 homers and 24 doubles. He made plenty of loud contact with a 48.0% hard-hit rate and a 91.3 mph average exit velocity.
It was a perfect match.
Talks between the two sides began in earnest last week as Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a contract was being discussed. That deal came together in the early morning on Tuesday, with Soler signing a three-year deal. Former Cubs broadcaster Mike Rodriguez reported that the deal is worth $42M.
Soler is the type of power hitter that the Giants have not had in nearly two decades. Barry Bonds was the last player on the Giants to hit 30 or more homers, doing so in 2004.
Jeff Kent was the last right-handed hitter to belt 30+ homers, hitting 37 back in 2002. Raw statistics would not indicate that Soler would make that much of a difference. He only has two 30+ home run seasons. However, that lack of production is more a matter of injury than performance.
Soler has averaged 32 homers per 162 games played, showing that he can be the player the Giants need. He also provides balance to the outfield, a righty hitting option to balance out Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski.
Soler is a gamble for the Giants as well. He is a streaky hitter, having weeks of prodigious power alternating with stretches with his bat being ice cold. His health is questionable as he has appeared in over 100 games just four times in his 10 years in the majors.
It is also a gamble the Giants need to take - they need to improve the lineup if they are going to return to the postseason. Soler does exactly that.
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