Jorge Soler and the SF Giants: a match made in baseball heaven?
This morning I woke up to the very unwelcome news that Shota Imanaga had inked a deal with the Chicago Cubs. Which then lead me to the thought; ‘well if they signed Imanaga, then it shouldn’t be too long before they finalize a deal with Bellinger too.’ And by the end of that thought, as a die hard Giants fan, I had officially woken up on the wrong side of the bed. What are my Giants going to do? It’s a question that wouldn’t stop repeating itself over and over and over in my mind. So I went to find some solace in the same place we all go for comfort nowadays, the internet.
Players still on the market include Jordan Montgomery, Shota Imanaga, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger, among others, with an abundance of pitching and hitting options also available. -Robert Murray (Fansided)
Why am I not seeing the Giants in the very same article as one of these finalist teams for Soler? I watched Farhan Zaidi say he still wants another pitcher and a bat on NBC. At least there’s an abundance of pitching I guess. But then I’m not seeing the Giants too many other places either, which surprised me because the Giants are not a team without money.
Bob Nightengale put it plainly, “The Cubs, who haven’t had a free-agent signing or made a trade all winter, will be baseball’s most aggressive team these next five weeks. They will not only re-sign Bellinger, with no one else expressing strong interest, but could bring in third baseman Matt Chapman or first baseman Rhys Hoskins, too, along with another starter. Their offseason is just starting.
Jim Bowden (shockingly) claimed the Cubs have “significant offers” out to Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins, Matt Chapman, and Jordan Montgomery. Though you should read our thoughts on what exactly that may mean.
And most recently, Robert Murray said the following: “Jed Hoyer is not hibernating. He is wide awake. The cubs are seeing the market and trying to find out exactly what makes sense for them. They seem like a team that doesn’t want to overspend. They could make a bold move. Maybe Chapman, Bellinger, upgrading rotation. Could even be a Hader. Hoyer is being patient due to high market prices.”
The one person conspicuously missing from all of those quotes and speculation is, you guessed it, Jorge Soler. Soler is a good outfielder and a solid bat. He could play outfield and DH when needed and I think that all teams should be taking advantage of the DH in the National League. Though that’s a different article all together. The Giants outfield currently looks to be Yazstremski, Lee and Conforto. I’m assuming someone will be platooned with Austin Slater as well. There is a lot of young talent such as Wade Meckler, Tyler Fitzgerald and Luis Matos, which is great and they should continue to be developed. But we don’t have a leader in the outfield to help these guys when they get to the show.
The Blue Jays and Red Sox are the alleged front runners to sign Soler. Why not the Giants? The only thing that made me happy, the small silver lining, was the the Dodgers were nowhere to be found in the morning reading. Thank you baseball gods for that small silver lining, I do appreciate it… but the question of Soler still stands.
Maybe it’s still time to rebuild in the mind of the Giants’ front office staff. Maybe they are concentrating on a trade for Kim as is rumored on Reddit. Maybe Marcus Stroman is now the one guy that Farhan is hyper focused on. He seems like a guy who has some favorites when it comes to prospects and possible trade options. I think Stroman is clearly a better signing than Kim, but signing both, I can live with that. But, I digress, why should I have to live with that when Jorge Soler is still out there and readily available. Why not Stroman and Soler, I would be ecstatic if that was what I read in the news tomorrow!
Jorge Soler has always been a solid .250 hitter with a bit of power to boot. In 2019, he hit 48 home runs. He had 75 RBIs in 2023 and in case nobody noticed, the Giants could have used those RBIs. They lost a lot of one run games in 2023 and that fact cannot be disputed. Logan Webb sure would have appreciated almost any run support at all, and that is why we need a bat and not just another pitcher. Not just one more pitching prospect, not Bryce Eldridge, because he won’t be ready. Jorge Soler fits into that roll better than Cody Bellinger and better than Matt Chapman. Better for the Giants overall. If Farhan Zaidi needs a bat and someone who is fully attainable, Soler is the guy. That’s my educated opinion.
By Zachary Casciato 2024
