The Angels have designated outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler for task. Journalist Mike Rodriguez first broke the news. The workforce has not but formally introduced the transaction or a corresponding transfer.
The Halos certainly explored methods to attempt to commerce Soler earlier than shifting to chop him, nevertheless it’s been a brutal 12 months for the previous AL dwelling run chief. Soler, now 34 years outdated, is hitting simply .203/.291/.373 on the season. He’s homered a dozen instances in 361 plate appearances and struck out practically one-third of the time he’s stepped into the batter’s field. Soler is often a formidable presence towards left-handed pitching, however he struggled versus southpaws final 12 months and is batting simply .207/.284/.341 towards them in 2026.
Soler’s outcomes on the plate have declined markedly in current seasons. After sitting on a stroll fee within the 11-12% vary for many of his profession, he’s now dipped beneath 10% in consecutive seasons. His strikeout troubles abated a bit in his early 30s, however this 12 months’s 32.7% clip is his highest because the shortened 2020 season. He’s nonetheless swinging exhausting, however his contact fee has tanked, and when he does make contact, he’s not hitting the ball with the identical authority he did even two or three years in the past. “When he does make contact” is a notable caveat, too; Soler has the third-worst general contact fee in baseball (65.7%) amongst gamers with 300 plate appearances.
Soler is being paid $13MM this 12 months within the closing season of a three-year, $42MM contract initially signed with San Francisco. The Giants traded him to the Braves on the 2024 deadline, and Soler has since bounced again to the Braves and now to the Angels, the place’s he’s spent the previous season-plus.
With the commerce deadline behind us, the Angels received’t have any selection however to position Soler on waivers. No one goes to say the roughly $3.91MM that’s left on his contract. He’s a lock to clear waivers, at which level he’ll be launched and search for good touchdown spots elsewhere within the league — presumably on a minor league pact.
