MLB Insider Predicts that Boston Red Sox Will Sign Powerful Veteran Slugger
We've heard a lot of rumors this offseason about free agent slugger Jorge Soler.
The former American League home run champion has been connected to the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and even a return to the Miami Marlins hasn't been ruled out.
But with spring training looming just two weeks from now, Soler still doesn't have a job and the suitors seem to be dwindling. Toronto would appear to be out after signing Justin Turner and Seattle would appear to be out after trading for Jorge Polanco.
Another team that Soler has been connected to has been the Boston Red Sox, and MLB Insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes that's where Soler will end up. He made the declaration in a predictions column on Wednesday.
The Red Sox have been relatively quiet all winter (with the only noise being the fanbase screaming for action) but the unrest should at least be momentarily subdued with a Soler signing.
A few things to consider here:
1) A move for Soler makes sense in that the fanbase is restless. After finishing last in the division for three of the last four years, the fans are expecting action. Thus far, the team has traded away Chris Sale and traded for Tyler O'Neill, leading to an uneven offseason that doesn't help the 2024 prospects. To Nightengale's point, adding a proven slugger would help ease the tension.
2) The team was already previously connected to Teoscar Hernandez. If they were interested in one power-hitting, right-handed outfielder, why not another?
3) The move would be questionable from this standpoint: The Sox already are loaded with outfielders. Jarren Duran, Masataka Yoshida, Ceddane Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Rob Refsynder and O'Neill are already out there. Even if the team puts Rafaela in the minors and Yoshida at DH, you're still over the outfielder limit. Something to watch for.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old also hit 48 homers back in the 2019 season with the Royals. That led the American League. He's also a two-time World Series champion and would bring playoff experience to wherever he signs.
Soler hit .250 last season with a .341 on-base percentage.
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