The Angels and Braves wasted little time hammering out the first significant trade of the offseason, as the teams announced Thursday that they’ve agreed on a swap, sending designated hitter Jorge Soler to Anaheim in exchange for righty Griffin Canning . There are reportedly no money-changing hands in the deal. The Angels will take on the entirety of the remaining two years and $26M on Soler’s contract.
Atlanta, meanwhile, will be on the hook for Canning’s salary in his final season of arbitration. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $5.1M salary for Canning, who’ll be a free agent next winter.
Soler stood as one of the most obvious trade candidates in all of baseball this offseason, given his defensive limitations and the presence of Marcell Ozuna in Atlanta. The Braves acquired him as something of a desperation move at the deadline, needing help for an injury-ravaged lineup. The plan always seemed to be stomaching Soler in the outfield for a couple of months and pursuing a trade in the offseason.
The 32-year-old Soler (33 in February) will add a thunderous bat and defensively limited skill set to the Angels roster. He inked a three-year, $42M deal with the Giants last winter on the heels of a 36-homer campaign in Miami and has now been traded twice in the first year of the contract. That isn’t for lack of production, however.
To the contrary, Soler enjoyed a solid season at the plate, slashing .241/.338/.
442 in 142 games. He was particularly productive from Ju.
