Royals designated hitter Jorge Soler has made a change in representation. According to a tweet from Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Soler has chosen to work with agent Casey Close of Excel Sports Management after previously working with ACES (link).
The timing of this change is certainly interesting. Soler’s current contractual status with Kansas City is unique, owing to the nine-year, $30MM accord he signed with the Cubs as a 20-year-old back in 2012. After logging a 2019 campaign that included a .265/.354/.569 slash and 48 home runs, Soler is “signed” for the 2020 season at just $4MM. However, the 27-year-old retains the right to opt out of that guaranteed salary and into MLB’s arbitration process this winter, as is the case with many Cuban defectors who signed Major League deals under the previous international free agency infrastructure. Given Soler’s counting stats alone, he’s almost a certain lock to opt for the arbitration route.
Though KC still holds Soler’s rights through 2021, it stands to reason that club exec Dayton Moore might kick the tires on a potential long-term extension with the slugger this winter. If the club aims to contend within the next two seasons, as they’ve stated, Soler and his potent bat (136 wRC+ in 2019) project to be indispensable to Kansas City’s currently tepid offensive attack (cumulative 84 wRC+ in 2019).
And it certainly seems like Moore might agree with that logic: yesterday, we heard that the club is interested in using its financial resources to secure the services of existing players into the future. Hunter Dozier, Adalberto Mondesi, and Brad Keller could all be viable candidates for such an allocation, but Soler’s potentially imminent entry into arbitration could give the Royals added incentive toward wrapping an extension this winter. If both parties are open to such an idea, our own Steve Adams recently used Randal Grichuk’s five-year, $52MM 2019 extension with the Blue Jays as a touchstone for possible negotiations between Royal officials and Soler reps.
If Soler opts out and leaves KC then the rebuild will take a major step back. KC barely fields an MLB team as it is.
He would be opting out of his guaranteed annual $4M salary and into arbitration not opting out of his contract and becoming a free agent.
If arbitration helps him get a good salary, KC might ship him out instead of paying him big to mash in the cellar.
Although I rate Jorge Soler as the best DH in 2019, he’s not a player KCR needs to build around. KCR is pitching-defense-speed.
Even the Cardinals of the 80’s has Jack Clark. You need someone to pop it out occasionally.
But Whitey sure had rabbits. Some of the best baseball I ever watched was those fast cardinal teams of the 80s
I hope he hits 50 bombs next year—another former cub setting world on fire “ain’t a good look” for Theo.
In the juice ball era. How many homeruns across baseball has been affected by it?
if we are assuming the ball was the same for each player, then each player would have added the same percent of homers, no? this means that he would still have won the AL title.
Thats not how any of this works. Its not linear like that
Oh it only works for some players
Obviously the juiced ball was not used to pitch to the Tigers.
Hater. Mind your Sox business. When was the last time you and your team brass won anything? Shut it!
You better pray to that little grandpa Ross shrine you have… not too many are hot on the cubs with their payroll and collapse
Hey, the cubs won their World Series this century, they can always look forward to the next century.
Again, let’s get into the DeLeorean and bring 2019 Jorge to 2017 when he was lost at the plate or injured half the year or couldn’t DH 100 games.
Put Soler in the OF and he maxes out at 100 games a season. The Cubs do not regret that trade at all.
You’re the reason why our team sucks so bad, nobody wants to go see the Sox anymore. They just want to hate the Cubs. Keep it up
@ChiSoxCity you seem obsessed with Theo because he won a world series with the Cubs. So pathetic of you
@ChiSoxCity
Just like Fernando Tatis, Jr. and Marcus Semien is not a good look for the White Sox
Man if the White Sox still had Tatis and Semien …wow
Get over the Cubs! Just focus on your own challenges, of which there are plenty! It must be hard to be the “second baseball team is Chicago! Accept it, it will always be that way!! Loser!
When do we start holding Theo to task for the situation he’s created in Chicago v. The players he gave away?
I think he knows he’s up against the wall. This will be a pivotal offseason.
If it isn’t for Theo not spending money to Free Agents or extending players, it’s Theo “giving away” players. You Cubs fans should just come with a mute button with all the complaining you all do. Biggest cry baby fans in the league are in this order 1.Yankees 2.Cubs 3.Phillies 4.Tigers 5.Red Sox (just beating out Cardinals due to fans quick turn on Sale and others lately). If it wasn’t for Yankee fans crying about not extending Didi or angry because they haven’t signed a big name free agent over the last 3+ years, Cubs Fans would be number one biggest Babies. Cubs fans will cry over the grounds keeper having the grass a inch too long.
Theo has done fairly well as GM in Chicago. He’s added talent, signed necessary free agents, developed prospects fairly well, and traded for pieces that have helped the club short term and/or long term. You fans are some ungrateful people and wish you’d go pound salt. Fire Theo, I believe your chance of ever seeing first in the division over the Cards again, will be diminished. Theo should trade Bryant and maybe another “big name” to shed some payroll. Then go after Strasburg or Cole and land MadBum. Then Cubs have legit shot at Cards next year. But I think Bryant should go to shake up that roster and get that team back on track. It was a good run with him and a few others. Even a World Series was won with them. But it’s time for a change on that roster and Bryant should be in strong talks to be moved.
Except Socrates is a Cardinals fan. He’s not crying, he’s gloating.
Bryant, Schwarber, and Kimbrel to Cleveland for Lindor and Kluber. Done and done.
Then the Cubs sign MadBum, Ryu, and Porcello. Use Porcello as an opener and long inning guy.
Everyone wins, except the Indians when the Cubs beat them in the 2020 WS.
The Cubs still don’t have room in their rotation for three new starters unless you’re moving Quintana and Lester.
That’s okay, they can be put in the bullpen.
If you think the Indians are going to move Lindor and Kluber for that package then you should lay off whatever drugs or booze that you consume. The Indians are not looking to take higher salaries if they move Lindor. You Cubs’ are crazy!
Terrible trade. Cleveland would never do this deal!
It is almost entirely Cardinals and white Sox fans talking smack about Theo here. He has made mistakes but I think he is a good executive that has a good head for baseball
Yes ma’am! i agree with you regarding the unfair criticism of Theo. With Bryant’s grievance with the MLBPA against the Cubs still pending,his potential trade will remain in limbo. Other GMs don’t know if they are acquiring one or two years of control of Bryant. The Cubs were one of three teams to exceed the CBT last season, so pursuing any top line free agents isn’t an option for them. Their high-salaried players have negative trade value aside from franchise icon, Anthony Rizzo. Theo might be able to do a bad contract swap for Tyler Chatwood or sell low on Quintana , but that’s about it to shed significant salary.
Tigers? Rarely do we see Tigers fans whining, and when they do,it is justified.
Avila gets about as much blame as he deserves. He was at the helm when things fell off a cliff. Zimmerman, Upton, Lowe, and Pelfrey.
Theo doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to select the right coaching staff and then trusting them.
One of the all time worst trades in the history of baseball.
themed and his stupidity strikes again. I’m convinced you just started watching baseball.
Let’s see. Soler hitting bombs daily for Kansas City. Nothing for the poor cubbies. Who watches the game?
I’m a Cub fan, and I agree with everything you posted!
The only questionable move is moving Jimenez and Cease for Quintana.
Trading Torres got them a WS.
Trading Soler opened up a spot on the OF that was previously occupied by a guy who couldn’t stay on the field if he was forced to play a position
Trading DJ Lamehieu was hindsight; at the time of the trade, DJ was a light hitting non-touted player who didn’t figure to be anywhere close to as good as he is today. Plus Javy Baez had a much higher ceiling.
Plus DJ was a free agent last year, every team missed on him and his production this year
Theo traded DJ to the Rockies in 2011. One of his first trades.
Hence me mentioning him in my post and saying it was hindsight. DJ wasn’t a good player when he was in the Cubs, and wasn’t even really a good player with the Rockies until about 4 years into his tenure there.. Nobody on the planet predicted him to be the player he turned out to be, so I don’t consider that to be a bad trade.
Yea and if you read Ry’s post you would have learned that
I was replying to johnrealtime who said every team missed DJ as a free agent.
Goodness, so many cranky posters on here.
I know that he traded him but what I’m saying is that when people talk about that being a mistake on Theo’s part they are thinking of 2019 DJ. 2019 DJ was on the free agent market and every team (including the Cubs) could have signed him in theory and enjoyed that production. IMO you can’t just that a trade was bad if a player has a great year after going to free agent, it is a moot point that they were traded nearly a decade previous
Sports are fascinating because of this “championship or bust” culture intersects with the “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” mindset. The Soler, Jimenez, and Torres trades look bad for the Cubs now, but all of the moves worked out as expected. Chapman was a rental but helped the Cubbies win a title; Quintana been a rotation mainstay, and Davis was a suitable closer for a year. Sucks for the Cubs to give up Torres, but no one cares who the Royals gave up to get Cueto. Can’t be afraid to go for it when you have a chance. Some prospects work out, some lose value. If Theo became available and my team needed a GM, I’d be begging him to lead my baseball ops.
Damn straight
I agree. The guys who are given up in those trades are just fodder for trash talkers from losing teams who hate the cubs. The teams who have traded with the cubs haven’t won a championship yet so even if they are excited to have these young guys, I’m sure they would rather be in the cubs position instead, not having those players and having a recent WS
With all that being said, it’s a pivotal offense for the Cubs. They’re in predicament of having a ton of talent, but not having a complete team. It all boils down to the successful teams are the ones that can produce talent from their own pipeline as long as possible. Astros, Dodgers, and Yankees aren’t going away anytime soon because they have the farm systems capable of identifying and developing their own talent. I feel the Cubs have largely operated as a traditional big market team (Short-term trades, big contracts, etc.). The bill always comes due.
Things have swung away from them. If either one of Q or Yu pan out, if Ian Happ would take it to the next level instead of regress among other things then the team wouldn’t have such a negative outlook right now.
If the Cubs had been more patient and let their young guys come up naturally instead of trading then they would look really good for the next few years but they probably wouldn’t have won a WS this century
You mean cubs position in 3rd place?
2016 champion, NLCS in 2017 and playoffs in 2018 and 3rd place in 2019. Yes, that is the position that I am talking about that the Yankees/White Sox/whoever else “fleeced” the cubs on these trades would love to have instead of the position they are currently in. But I understand that your posts and opinions on baseball are based on trashtalking and rivalry instead of objective opinions and transactional strategy. To be fair most people seem to be similar to you but I find it boring
Spot on!
Slow day at ole MLBTR. Here’s to a busy week ahead
Royals article that turns into a cub comment section . Awesome
I see what you’re saying, but this is more about Soler.
Signing big him to an extension will be a mistake. He is a DH who logged 1200 very average at bats before 2019.
He is what the royals want right now. This is exactly what they dreamed of when they traded Wade Davis.
Of course it was. One of the most lopsided deals ever.
No it isn’t because if Soler was still be on the Cubs, he’d have at least one 60-day IL stint a year. It’s a trade that benefited both teams according to their needs.
And no deal that involves the DH as the better return is one of the most “lopsided deals ever”. Heck, that wasn’t even the most lopsided deal of the 2017-2018 seasons.
What is Davis doing for the cubs now? Yes lopsided. Very very lopsided.
So far Solar has had one exceptional season on a team that didn’t do much competitively and Davis had one exceptional season on a team that made it to the NLCS. At most it is a wash at this point, certainly not one of the most lopsided trades in history. Geeze you are embarrassing yourself themed, hate on the cubs with intelligence. ChiSoxCity has this kind of posting covered already
@themed
Hahaha a bit dramatic there drama queen
As a Royals fan, I hate to say it but it wouldn’t devastate me if this move causes tumult with the contract extension negotiations thus prompting a deal with another team because I really feel this past season was an outlier (at least somewhat) & his past injury history is always troubling.
That said if a trade transpired, I don’t think KC should expect a huge return (based on the aforementioned issues) but at least a decent return focusing on his younger (27) age, potential which was met at least for this past season, and 2 years of controllability plus obvious openness to negotiate a new deal thus not necessarily wanting to go to free agency and based on this, I would imagine there’d be a market.
And by no means is Salvy Perez a 40 homer candidate. However he does have 30 homer potential & with his return from missing last season, he’d replace a fair chunk of Soler’s departed power.
The cubs finished in third place but there hot shot fans still think they have a dynasty going.
I’m a Cub fan. I don’t think they have a dynasty, so shut your pie-hole!