Jorge Soler led the majors with 48 home runs in 2019. Last year, the defensively challenged slugger launched 36 homers. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Giants are "in talks" with Soler, meaning that the Giants signing him is a real possibility. Soler would provide tremendous pop to the lineup, but at this stage in his career he is a pure DH. Soler is awful defensively. In his favor, however, is the fact that he holds his own against same-handed pitching so the SF Giants would not need to platoon him.
What would be the ramifications of adding Soler to the roster? Unfortunately for the Giants, it would seem to take playing time away from Wilmer Flores, who had a monster season with San Francisco last season. As of right now, Flores projects as the SF Giants' DH, but the team still needs a platoon partner at first base for LaMonte Wade Jr. So that spot may actually be Flores', but that takes at-bats away from him. It's a complicated situation that, when combined with Soler's inability to play defense, make him seem like not the most important fit/priority.
In other news, Buster Posey and Greg Johnson commented on the SF Giants' offseason after finishing a round of golf at Pebble Beach. Both Posey and Johnson were clear that the Giants remain interested in some of the top talent in free agency. There are four players remaining—two pitchers and two hitters—who are expected to command deals of $100 million or more, and the SF Giants make sense for all of them.
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The best daily San Francisco Giants podcast. Whether the Giants are winning championships or retooling for another title run, Locked On Giants host Ben Kaspick—a lifelong Giants fan and former contributor for RotoGraphs and Beyond the Box Score—breaks down every game, rumor, and transaction in a way that's data-driven and rational but also simple, passionate, and accessible to all.
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