The Atlanta Braves are making some big moves!
On Monday night, they struck a deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire Jorge Soler, the All-Star outfielder and two-time World Series champ. Joining him is right-handed reliever Luke Jackson, both of whom had crucial roles in the Braves’ 2021 title run.
Heading to San Francisco in this trade are left-handed reliever Tyler Matzek and minor league infielder Sabin Ceballos. The Braves will be taking on Soler’s full contract, which means shelling out $13 million for both 2025 and 2026. So, this deal doubles as a salary dump for the Giants.
The Braves are not just welcoming back familiar faces; they’re also aiming to replicate their 2021 success. Back then, superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a torn ACL, prompting the team to grab four outfielders at the trade deadline: Soler, Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, and Joc Pederson.
This season, Duvall continues with the Braves, while Rosario was signed shortly after Acuna’s second ACL tear. With Soler back in Atlanta, Pederson is the last of the 2021 outfielders not with the team—he’s currently with the Arizona Diamondbacks. However, the Braves do have another left-handed outfield option in Jarred Kelenic.
Soler, 32, signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Giants last offseason. He played 93 games this season, batting .240 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs. While that’s off his usual pace—coming off a 2023 season where he hit .250 with 36 homers and 75 RBIs—he made an All-Star appearance last year.
His best year? That was 2019, when he smashed 48 home runs and racked up 117 RBIs. In the Braves’ 2021 championship run, he had an OPS of .882 during the last 55 games of the regular season and excelled in the postseason, earning an OPS of .948 in 11 games and clinching the World Series MVP title with three homers.
The Braves are counting on Soler to replicate that success in his return. Since Acuna Jr.’s injury in late May, the team has struggled to find consistent outfield performance, and Soler should significantly bolster that position.
As for Jackson, he enjoyed five seasons with the Braves from 2017 to 2021, with his best year being 2021 when he posted a 1.98 ERA across 63.2 innings and recorded 3.2 scoreless innings in the World Series.
The Braves are aiming to channel their 2021 magic. Currently, they sit at 56-49, trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by 8.5 games for first place in the NL East. They hold the first Wild Card spot in the NL, just ahead of the San Diego Padres and New York Mets.