Braves ignite offseason with shocking trade of ex-World Series MVP to Angels

The offseason is less than 24 hours old. Still, Atlanta Braves General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has already struck a trade, sending RF/DH and former World Series MVP Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels. Mike Rodriguez was the first to report the news, which was later confirmed by multiple sources.

In return, Atlanta received starting pitcher Griffin Canning, a 28-year-old entering his final year of arbitration.

In his second stint with the Braves, Soler slashed .243/.356/.493 (135 wRC+) in 49 games, giving the Braves offense a much-needed boost. However, his defense left a lot to be desired.

Why did the Braves trade Jorge Soler to the Angels for Griffin Canning?

When the Braves first acquired Jorge Soler, it was clear that the club was filling an immediate need offensively and would have to figure out the logjam in the outfield that would follow for 2025.

Soler had just signed a three-year deal with the San Francisco Giants as a DH. With Marcell Ozuna occupying the position for Atlanta, Soler needed to play the outfield, which he did with little success. In just 326 innings, he was worth a shockingly bad -7 OAA and -10 DRS.

It was clear that the Braves would likely try to move on from him this offseason, especially with Ronald Acuña Jr. set to return early in the 2025 season and with Jarred Kelenic still a potential everyday option in LF. The only question would be whether the Braves could find a suitor for the remaining $32 million the team owed.

That question was answered shockingly quickly by the trade to the Angels.

Griffin Canning has had an up-and-down MLB career so far with the Angels. In his five big league seasons, he has a career 4.78 ERA with a matching 4.78 FIP. Baseball Savant grades him as having an excellent changeup, but with a horrible fastball and 2nd percentile breaking stuff.

He could be a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation, filling the Charlie Morton role, or the Braves could simply choose not to tender him a contract this offseason, making the Soler deal simply about moving on from the payroll.

Braves insiders confirmed that no money is involved in the trade, so Los Angeles is taking on all of Soler's contract. This allows the Braves some flexibility to pursue one of the big free agents on the market this offseason, including Max Fried, Willy Adames, and Juan Soto.

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