The Atlanta Braves are running it back.
On Monday night, the Braves agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire All-Star outfielder and two-time World Series champion Jorge Soler. The Braves are also getting right-handed reliever Luke Jackson in the deal. Both players were on the Braves in 2021, and played pivotal roles in their World Series title.
Going back to San Francisco is left-handed reliever Tyler Matzek and minor league infielder Sabin Ceballos. Additionally, the Braves are taking on the whole contract, paying Soler $13 million in both 2025 and 2026. So, this trade is as much a salary dump as anything for the Giants.
As for the Braves, they aren’t only bringing back two old friends, but they’re also continuing to recreate the 2021 season. That year, superstar outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. went down with a torn ACL, and the Braves responded by acquiring four outfielders at the trade deadline — Soler, Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, and Joc Pederson.
Duvall has spent the entire 2024 season with the Braves, while Rosario was signed by the Braves in early July a few months after Acuna Jr.’s second torn ACL. Now, Soler is heading back to Atlanta, leaving just Pederson as the lone outfielder acquired in 2021 not in Atlanta. Pederson is currently with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but the Braves do have a left-handed outfielder in Jarred Kelenic on the roster.
Soler, 32, signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Giants this past offseason. In 93 games, the power-hitter slashed .240/.330/.419 with 12 home runs, 40 runs batted in, and an OPS of .749. For his standards, it’s a down year, considering he’s coming off a 2023 campaign in which he slashed .250/.341/.512 with 36 home runs, 75 runs batted in, and an OPS of .853. He made his lone All-Star appearance last season.
Soler’s best season in Major League Baseball came in 2019, when he hit 48 home runs, drove in 117 RBIs, and had an OPS of .922. In 2021, he played a crucial role in the Braves’ dominance, collecting an OPS of .882 over the last 55 games of the regular season.
In the postseason, Soler was even better. He had an OPS of .948 across his 11 postseason games, and was sensational in the World Series, going 6-for-20 with three home runs en route to the World Series MVP award. Rosario won the NLCS award that year.
The Braves are hoping for similar success for Soler in his second stint in Atlanta. Since Acuna Jr. went down with a torn ACL in late May, the Braves have struggled to find a consistent replacement in the outfield. Soler will certainly fill that role.
As for Jackson, he spent five seasons with the Braves from 2017-21. He had his best year as a pro in 2021, sporting a 1.98 ERA across 63.2 innings. He pitched 3.2 shutout innings in the World Series.
The Braves are looking to recreate their 2021 magic. They’re currently 56-49, 8.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East. They’re in the first Wild Card spot in the NL, just ahead of the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.
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