MLB Hot Stove: Offseason kicks off with Jorge Soler trade following conclusion of World Series
MLB Hot Stove: Offseason kicks off with Jorge Soler trade following conclusion of World Series
The Braves and Angels kicked off the offseason with a two-player trade just hours after the conclusion of the World Series.
The Angels acquired outfielder Jorge Soler in exchange for right-hander Griffin Canning. The deal gives the Halos a power bat while the Braves land additional pitching depth to their rotation.
Soler has now been traded two times in the last three months. The slugger signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Giants last offseason, then San Francisco flipped him to the Braves before the trade deadline.
The Angels new slugger hit .241/.338/.442 with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs in 142 games last season. He is owed $32 million over the final two years of his contract.
"I was working out, and I got a call from the GM telling me I was getting traded," Soler said to ESPN on Thursday through an interpreter. "It's amazing how fast everything happened, but I'm grateful for the Angels for giving me the opportunity."
Soler will join an Angels lineup that includes Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Jo Adell, Mickey Moniak, Logan O’Hoppe, and young shortstop Zach Neto.
Canning, 28, heads to the Braves, providing them additional rotational depth, especially if they lose All-Star lefty Max Fried or veteran Charlie Morton in free agency. The Braves rotation currently has potential National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach.
Last season, the righty started 31 games for the Angels, posting a 5.19 ERA over 171 2/3 innings with 66 walks, 130 strikeouts, and 31 home runs allowed. He will reach free agency after the 2025 season.
The Cardinals declined the options on three right-handed pitchers on Thursday.
Starters Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and receiver Kenyan Middleton will all hit the open market in five days.
Gibson, 37, was 8-8 with a 4.24 ERA after signing with the Cardinals last November. He earned $12 million last season and had an option for the same amount in 2025. He will receive a $1 million buyout from St. Louis.
Lynn, 37, signed a one-year, $10 million contract for 2024 with an $11 million option for 2025. He was 7-4 with a 3.84 ERA.
Middleton, 31, underwent season-ending flexor repair surgery on his right forearm in June and didn't pitch all season.
The Brewers declined Wade Miley’s $12 million mutual option for the 2025 season. He will receive a $1.5 million buyout and will be free to sign with any team once the market opens.
Miley, who will turn 38 in November, only made two starts for Milwaukee before his season came to an end due to Tommy John surgery. The southpaw recorded an 0-1 record with a 6.43 ERA last year after an impressive 2023 campaign where he went 9-4 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts.
The Mets signed right-hander Dylan Covey to a one-year, major league deal. He will earn $850,000 while in the bigs and $350,000 if he’s in the minors.
Covey went 0-2 with a 2.66 ERA, 19 strikeouts, and nine walks over 20 1/3 innings in 18 games this year with Philadelphia's Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Double-A Reading, and Class A Clearwater farm teams.
The veteran hurler was placed on the injured list this past March because of a strained right shoulder. He then began a minor league rehab assignment with Clearwater at the end of July. Covey was activated from the injured list on Aug. 27 and assigned outright to Lehigh Valley that same day.
The Orioles made a minor move, acquiring outfielder Daz Cameron from the Athletics for cash considerations.
Cameron, 27, played for Oakland last season and spent three years in total with the Tigers. In 66 games with the A’s, Cameron hit .200 with five homers and 15 RBI, both career highs. Across 139 career MLB games for Detroit and Oakland, Cameron is a .201 hitter with 10 homers and 39 RBIs.
