The Los Angeles Angels are gearing up for a full-blown fire sale as the August 3 MLB trade deadline closes in, and one player is almost certainly out the door: slugger Jorge Soler. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com is calling it: Soler, with his hefty $42 million contract, is the guy the Angels are most likely to deal by the deadline. Forget the chatter around Reid Detmers, Jose Soriano, or Zach Neto for a minute; those guys are controllable, but Soler? He’s a goner.
The Price Tag Problem Is Real
This isn’t going to be an easy deal for the Halos, and frankly, don’t expect a king’s ransom back. Soler is 34 years old and playing out the final year of a three-year, $42 million contract. That’s a boatload of cash, especially for a player in the midst of a down year. The Angels are gonna have to eat a good chunk of that salary just to get a trade partner to bite, which means the return will be pretty unexciting. But let’s be real, anything in exchange for him is a win when he’s just walking away in free agency at the end of the season. As Feinsand put it, a move to a contender could “reinvigorate him” as he preps for free agency, especially with his postseason pedigree.
His Bat Isn’t Exactly Forcing The Issue
Soler’s got some serious hardware on his resume, with a couple of championship rings and a World Series MVP Award. You can’t just ignore that postseason experience. But this season, his bat has been struggling hard. He’s hitting a measly .205 with a .669 OPS and a 90 OPS+ through 79 games and 288 at-bats. That’s a significant step back from his 120 OPS+ just last season in 2024. He does have 11 home runs, 14 doubles, and 45 RBIs, but the overall offensive production has cratered to a -0.1 bWAR. Even with those struggles, a barren market for right-handed hitting could still make him an attractive, albeit expensive, option for a contender desperate for a bat.
The writing is on the wall for Soler. While other Angels like Detmers, Neto, and Soriano might have their names floating around, Soler’s trade is practically a done deal by August 3. The Angels just need to figure out how much cash they’re willing to sacrifice to finally cut ties and officially start clearing house.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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