The Braves have been bit hard by injuries this season. Devastating injuries to Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna and Spencer Strider coupled with Michael Harris Jr. and Max Fried have all but squashed any deep playoff run as they sit 7.5 games back of the Phillies in the East entering play on Wednesday, July 31. With the final hours of the trade deadline looming all hope seemed to be lost with season-saving trade options for Max Scherzer and Gleyber Torres were squandered, then some bright-eyed Braves executive chimed in with a trade idea straight out of the Braves 2021 World Series playbook. Let’s trade for Jorge Soler.
The Atlanta Braves Trade for Jorge Soler…Again
The reunion with Soler marks a homecoming for the 32-year-old slugger, who was instrumental in the Braves’ 2021 championship run. Soler provided a much-needed power boost to an Atlanta lineup ravaged by injuries, most notably the season-ending ACL tear suffered by reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr in 2021; it looks as though the Braves are repeating that strategy. Soler’s iconic three-homer performance in the World Series, capped by that behemoth 446-foot blast in Game 6 that left Houston’s Minute Maid Park is still spoken of as a legend in Atlanta.
Soler hit 13 HRs while slugging .370 when the Braves acquired him from KC in 2021. This season, he has a similar line with 12 long balls and slugging 419. He would go on to send 14 balls out for the Braves in 2021, That’s the power the Braves are hoping they bought this year.
Soler’s arrival in the Bay Area this past offseason was met with considerable fanfare, as the Giants inked him to a three-year, $42 million contract to bolster their designated hitter and outfield depth. However, his tenure in San Francisco got off to an inauspicious start, as he struggled to find his footing at the plate over the first two months of the season.
Who Went West
For the Giants, this trade represents a clear salary dump; mistakes were made as they looked to shed the remaining financial obligations on Soler’s contract. San Francisco had been one of the few teams that had yet to make a significant move ahead of the deadline, but dumping Soler and Jackson suggests a shift in their approach.
In return, the Giants acquire the 21-year-old Ceballos, a right-handed hitting third baseman who was Atlanta’s third-round pick in the 2022 draft. Ceballos is currently hitting .259/.353/.354 with High-A Rome, and while he may not be a top-tier prospect, the Giants will hope to uncover some hidden potential in the young infielder.
56 Games to Go
With the Braves currently clinging to the top Wild Card spot, the additions of Soler and Jackson provide a much-needed boost to their lineup and bullpen, respectively. The Braves will hope that these veteran reinforcements can help them fend off the surging Arizona Diamondbacks, who sit just 1.5 games back in the Wild Card standings, and the rest of the NL contenders.
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