MLB Rumors: Jorge Soler favorites, Dylan Cease dark horse, Marcus Stroman's market
- Pair of AL East teams battling for Jorge Soler
- Cardinals could be Dylan Cease dark horse
- 5 teams reportedly in on Marcus Stroman
MLB Rumors: Pair of AL East teams battling for Jorge Soler
In a weak free agency class when it comes to position players, there just aren't many bats teams can rely on to upgrade their offense. Shohei Ohtani was one, but at his price only a few teams could even consider it realistically. Ohtani is a Dodger, but not many other position players have signed. With Ohtani off the market, Jorge Soler has an argument as one of the better hitters on the market coming off a fine season with the Marlins.
This past season Soler slashed .250/.341/.512 with 36 home runs and 75 RBI in 137 games for Miami. Hitting 36 home runs while playing half the time at pitcher-friendly Loan Depot Park certainly was impressive for Soler who has had some huge years before, but he's been rather inconsistent throughout his career, which is likely why his market isn't as robust as many had hoped.
Jon Heyman of the NY Post said on his livestream for BR Live that the Soler market as of now has two favorites, and they both play in the AL East. Heyman believes that the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays should be considered the odds-on favorites to land Soler as of now. He also mentioned that a reunion with the Marlins appears unlikely, and that he doesn't know if Soler joining the Mariners who have also checked in is realistic.
The Blue Jays stick out here among the two teams that could really use Soler the most. The Jays had a lackluster offense last season and it only looks worse now with Matt Chapman still on the open market. Adding a big bat like Soler to DH for them regularly would certainly make them look better. The Red Sox make sense as a destination too with Boston needing to add more right-handed hitting and Soler filling in a potential hole at DH, but it's fair for Red Sox fans to question whether the organization is actually willing to spend on anyone at this point.
If it is just these two AL East rivals that end up bidding for Soler's services it should be interesting to see how it plays out.