2 reasons the Braves should reunite with Jorge Soler, 2 reasons they shouldn't
Jorge Soler has elected to opt out of his contract with the Miami Marlins. Could the Atlanta Braves bring him back for the 2024 season?
Jorge Soler, the 2021 World Series Most Valuable Player has elected to opt out of his current contract with the Miami Marlins. As we enter the off-season, could the Atlanta Braves pursue a reunion with their former slugger? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of signing Soler prior to the 2024 season.
2 reasons the Braves should reunite with Soler
1. He is not afraid of the big moment
It’s been 100 days since this Jorge Soler Home Run. 100 days since the Atlanta Braves won the World Series.
— Trent (@Trenciarte) February 10, 2022
pic.twitter.com/rjtX8iEo54
Jorge Soler only played in 55 regular season games with the Atlanta Braves. He was acquired at the trade deadline of 2021 in an attempt to patch up the holes of the Braves outfield.
He helped lead the Braves to an incredible run to end the regular season and continued his high level of performance into October and early November.
Soler has two of the biggest home runs in Braves franchise history. The first one was in the first at-bat of the 2021 World Series to set the tone and the other being the one that sealed the championship in Game 6.
No matter the cost, we know that Soler can handle the pressure of being on baseball's biggest stage which is where the Atlanta Braves plan to be in 2024.
2. Replace Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar
All signs are pointing towards Eddie Rosario and Kevin Pillar both putting on a different uniform in the 2024 season. This will create a vacancy in left field.
Many will say that Soler's defense could become a liability but the truth be told, Eddie Rosario in left field was not the most comfortable thing for Braves fans to watch. Jorge Soler could be capable of filling a team need and his bat would fit in well with this already powerful offense.
2 reasons they should not bring him back
1. The Price is too high
Jorge Soler is opting out of his contract with the Marlins & will become a free agent, per @CraigMish pic.twitter.com/R2JcLfQNTa
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) November 2, 2023
In 2023, Jorge Soler was an all-star. He hit .250 with 36 home runs and 75 runs batted in. Coming off of an all-star season and choosing to opt out of his contract with his current team tells where his mindset is.
Soler feels that he is being too productive for his team to not be a championship contender and he should be paid more. He could very well be opting out just to see if the Marlins will raise their price to keep him around but it could be that the number he has in mind goes well over Alex Anthopoulos' budget for the Braves' next left fielder.
2. Inconsistency
In his 10-year MLB career, it has been a guessing game as to what Jorge Soler will bring to his team. He could be an all-star hitting almost .300 with 30 or even 40 home runs. Another possibility is that his batting average is below .200 and he strikes out more times than games played in a season.
Soler has struck out over 100 times in a season four times in his career including last year and 2019 when he lead the American League with 178 strikeouts. Of course, in the new era of baseball, many will trade a lot of strikeouts for 30+ home runs. However, Alex Anthopoulos may want to gamble on starting pitching before taking a high-risk shot at bringing back Jorge Soler.