Alex Anthopoulos has always had a knack for finding the right move for the Braves when they need it. 2024 was a challenging year for Atlanta, and they were pretty quiet at the trade deadline. Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson were traded to their former team from San Francisco, hoping to find that familiar magic from 2021.
Soler's second stint with Atlanta started decently. He had a .297 average through his first 10 games with the Braves. He had 11 hits, including one double, four homers, 10 RBI, six walks, and 12 strikeouts.
However, that didn't last. He ended August with a .203 average but he walked a lot. Soler walked 15 times, which is good, but he struck out 22 times during that stretch as well.
The last month of the season was a different story as Soler seemed to figure some things out. His average shot up to .288 with 23 hits, including nine doubles, four homers, 12 RBI, and a .913 OPS. Despite this impressive improvement, he couldn't help the Braves overcome a horrific season.
Jorge Soler hit this baseball to a different universe 🚀 #Postseason pic.twitter.com/Ww7RB3r3bw
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2024
Alex Anthopoulos' trade for Jorge Soler complicates Braves offseason
While the offense was great, Soler was a defensive liability for Atlanta. Soler had a -7 OAA and -10 DRS in 2024, which is absolutely horrible. He had exclusively been a designated hitter for the Giants. However, Atlanta already had that spot locked down with Marcell Ozuna, so the team had no choice but to put Soler on the field.
That didn't go very well as he struggled to chase balls down and it hurt the team in some key moments. It was frustrating to see this happen and it leads the Braves to a crossroads ahead of next season.
Jorge Soler is under contract for two more seasons and will make $16 million each season. Can the team justify paying $16 million for Soler while knowing he would be a liability in the outfield? Marcell Ozuna will likely return in 2025 and will be the designated hitter.
Alex Anthopoulos may need to find a suitable trade partner to take Soler so the team has a much more suitable option for the final outfield spot. But finding a team to take on his remaining $32 million contract will be a tough task, leaving Atlanta to eat some of his salary.
Ramon Laureano impressed Braves fans in 2024 once he was called up to the big league club. He is an excellent defender and would make much more sense for Atlanta in the outfield. It would be unwise for the front office to be complacent about sending Soler out there every day, knowing they have better-suited options available.
The team could consider platooning him with Jarred Kelenic in left field, but you don't pay $16 million to platoon a player. Trading Soler makes the most sense as he doesn't make much sense for the team outside of being a DH, and that spot is taken.
Alex Anthopoulos gave himself quite the challenge when he traded for Soler. The move makes sense if the team doesn't bring back Marcell Ozuna, which would be shocking. However, it seems the team is planning on doing that, making Soler expendable. It will be interesting to see what Atlanta's front office decides to do.