Insights into how the Marlins signing Jorge Soler unfolded and what could be next
The Miami Marlins made their desire to acquire at least one more impact bat well known when spring training began. General manager Kim Ng pointed out that in a perfect world, it would be a “center fielder who is an offensive threat” to knock out both of the team’s biggest needs with one player.
“That would be our primary objective,” Ng said Friday. “If that’s not attainable, and you’re not going to mortgage the future for one, then I think you have to go to Plan B. And Plan B, there are some good offensive players out there on the market.”
Plan B, it turns out, ended up being corner outfielder/designated hitter Jorge Soler, who the Marlins are signing to a three-year, $36 million deal that contains opt outs after both the 2022 and 2023 seasons, a source confirmed to the Miami Herald on Saturday. The deal has not been made official yet, but Soler could potentially report to the Marlins’ spring training site in Jupiter as early as Monday.
Soler’s signing adds to the acquisitions the Marlins made before the lockout in outfielder Avisail Garcia (four-year, $53 million free agent deal with a fifth-year option), infielder Joey Wendle (trade with Tampa Bay Rays) and catcher Jacob Stallings (trade with Pittsburgh Pirates).
Garcia, Soler and Wendle combined last year accounted for 67 home runs, 210 RBI and 215 runs scored. That’s a needed boost for a team that finished with the second-fewest runs scored (623) and third-fewest home runs (158) in the 2021 season.
Soler was on the Marlins’ radar from the start, but there were other free-agent options they were pursuing. As more deals began to be struck — Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos, Eddie Rosario and Joc Pederson all signed over the past week — the Marlins knew they needed to make their move.
Enter Soler.
The 30-year-old is a career .246 hitter with 121 home runs (including an American League-leading 48 for the Kansas City Royals in 2019), 307 runs scored and 343 RBI over 661 career MLB games spanning eight seasons. He was the World Series MVP for the Atlanta Braves last season after going hitting .300 (6 for 16) with three home runs, six RBI and four runs scored over six games.
There are some concerns about his defensive metrics (he had a minus-11 defensive runs saved last season in right field and is a minus-49 for his career overall, according to FanGraphs), but the Marlins will most likely deploy him in left field and as designated hitter, a spot that is starting to get crowded with Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper also vying for regular playing time there when not starting at first base.
Why did the Marlins go with the “Plan B” route, where they opted to go hitter-first instead of center field-centric? Consider this:
▪ Among the free agents this offseason who are natural center fielders, only nine had a positive wins above replacement in 2021. Just two had a WAR above two: Starling Marte, who signed a four-year, $78 million deal with the New York Mets, and Chris Taylor, who signed a four-year, $60 million deal with a fifth-year option. The Marlins attempted to get Marte back, but when they could not strike a deal with him, they decided to pursue other avenues.
Notably, the Marlins have two of the top eight free agent center fielders based on WAR in camp on minor-league deals: Delino DeShields (sixth, 0.5) and Roman Quinn (eighth, 0.3).
▪ The Marlins pursued right fielder Nick Castellanos, the top offensive right fielder on the free agent market, but didn’t want to overspend — he ended up signing a five-year, $100 million deal with the Phillies.
Instead, the Marlins used the money it would have taken to sign Castellanos to get two offensive-minded players in Garcia and Soler, a duo that ranked second and fifth in terms of WAR among free-agent right fielders and who together will make $24 million in 2022. Garcia is also in the mix to get playing time in center field, an option the Marlins wouldn’t have had if they only signed Castellanos.
▪ The Marlins feel comfortable with the internal options they have for center field, which would include Garcia, Bryan De La Cruz, Jesus Sanchez and Jon Berti on the 40-man roster as well as DeShields and Quinn if they are able to make enough of a statement in spring training to crack the roster. Prospects JJ Bleday and Peyton Burdick, who are expected to start the season in Triple A Jacksonville but could make their MLB debuts at some point in 2022, also have experience in center field.
▪ There is still time to acquire a true center fielder if the Marlins choose to do so. The Marlins have a stockpile of players at various positions — starting pitching depth in the minors, corner outfielders and players who could fill designated hitter voids — that could be use as trade chips either before Opening Day or at the trade deadline.
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