of Braves The band reformed San Francisco Giants Bring back the slugger Jorge Soler Relief pitcher Luke JacksonBoth were key players on the 2021 World Series winning team.
The Braves have a left-handed relief pitcher. Tyler MatzekPromising third baseman/outfielder who missed most of the season due to injury Sabin Ceballos To the Giants in this trade.
Soler has been the DH all season with San Francisco and has never played in the outfield, but he has appeared in 31 games as a right fielder for the City. Marlins He was the DH last season and has the athleticism to play the position. The Braves obviously have a DH in their All-Star squad. Marcel OzunaBut they didn’t want to miss the opportunity to add Soler’s striking power to an injury-plagued offense that has been shaky for much of the season.
Going deeper
The Giants traded Jorge Soler and Luke Jackson, but no big sales are expected
Soler is hitting modestly (.240 with 12 homers and a .749 OPS) in 93 games with the Giants, but the Braves acquired him in the middle of a .312 batting average with eight extra bases (two homers), eight RBIs, a whopping 15 walks, a .447 on-base percentage and a .972 OPS over his past 17 games. He’s due to receive $13 million in signing bonuses over each of the next two seasons. Ozuna is under contract through this season with a $16 million team option for 2025 and a $1 million buyout.
The Braves got a big payoff when they acquired Soler from Kansas City at the 2021 trade deadline. After being traded to Atlanta, he hit 14 home runs with an .882 OPS in 55 regular season games to help the Braves come back to win the NL East, then batted .300 with three home runs and a 1.191 OPS in the six-game World Series on his way to being named World Series MVP. Houston AstrosThis came after he missed most of the NLCS due to testing positive for COVID-19.
Jackson, 32, spent five seasons with the Braves in 2021 and posted a career-best 1.98 ERA in 71 games before making 11 postseason appearances, including three shutout innings in the World Series. He struggled this season with a 5.40 ERA in 36 games and has a $7 million team option for 2025 with a $2 million buyout.
Matzek became a huge hit among Braves fans in 2021 after his iconic performance against the Braves in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. DodgersThe game was the most dramatic of his 11 shutout appearances in 13 postseason appearances, as he posted a 1.72 ERA with 24 strikeouts and four walks in 15 2/3 innings.
Matzek missed the 2022 postseason and all of 2023 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and several related setbacks this year that limited him to just 11 starts and a 9.90 ERA to start the season. Matzek has not pitched since May 4.
Ceballos, 21, is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound prospect whose athleticism, hitting skills and natural power make him intriguing. He was drafted by the Braves in the third round in 2023 after hitting 18 homers and posting a 1.069 OPS at Oregon, but has yet to match that college power in High-A, posting a .353 on-base percentage with 24 extra base hits (three homers) in 377 at-bats. Atlanta has a third baseman in the mix. Austin Riley Contract until 2032.
(Photo of Jorge Soler on June 3rd by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
