Jon Heyman believes the Blue Jays are the front-runners to sign Jorge Soler.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman mentioned on Bleacher Report’s Walk-Off on Wednesday afternoon that the Blue Jays are the team that is most likely to sign Jorge Soler. Without a doubt, Soler would be a fantastic addition to the Blue Jays. The 31-year-old designated hitter had a 126 wRC+ in 580 plate appearances last season, slashing.250/.341/.512 with 36 home homers. Also, Soler recorded a career-best 24.3 K% and a 11.4 BB%. It’s important to remember that Miami’s ballpark, which is among the league’s most pitcher-friendly venues, is where 16 of the 36 home runs were hit.
Soler has actually played in pitcher-friendly stadiums for a good number of seasons, including 4.5 with the Kansas City Royals. It’s interesting to note that he had his best season in that one, slashing.265/.354/.569 with a 136 wRC+ and a career-high 48 home runs in 679 plate appearances. In addition, Soler has postseason experience because he and Atlanta won the World Series in 2021. In just 38 plate appearances throughout the postseason, he slashed.242/.342/.606 with three home runs and a 145 wRC+. Furthermore, during Atlanta’s run, which culminated in this enormous three-run home run in game six, Soler was voted the World Series Most Valuable Player.ย
With 36 home runs going into free agency, Soler was the second-most prolific player in free agency; only Shohei Ohtani hit more in 2023. Having said that, Soler’s health is an issue, even though the power is real.
Despite spending ten seasons in the major leagues, Soler has only made four 400-plate appearances and three 500-plate appearances. He is a 25+ home run hitter and has hit even more in 2019 and 2023 when he is healthy.
Soler would be their finest designated hitter in a long time, even though he may not play the outfield as often as he once did. In 241.2 innings last season, he recorded -5 Defensive Runs Saved and -3 Outs Above Average.