Giants reportedly have Made necessary contact in signing former World Series MVP on a splashing deal worth $200 but…
The San Francisco Giants may be moving toward a deal with a former World Series MVP.
The Giants are in talks with designated hitter Jorge Soler, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Giants are looking to add more power to their lineup, and Soler, a prodigious home run hitter, would certainly qualify as a fit based on that.
Soler remains on the market despite the fact that he is coming off an All-Star season with the Miami Marlins. He hit 36 home runs for the Marlins last season, marking the second time in his career he hit 30 in a season. He is also a two-time World Series champion, and won series MVP honors in 2021 when he homered three times in six games for the victorious Atlanta Braves.
Soler actually had a $13 million option with the Marlins, but he turned it down to test the open market. It is possible he still might be looking for that much money, but the relative lack of interest he has received this offseason may mean he is not going to get it.
One veteran hitter is officially coming home.
MSM Sports announced on Monday that their client Josh Harrison has agreed to a free-agent deal with the Cincinnati Reds. It is a homecoming for Harrison, who is a native of Cincinnati.
The 36-year-old Harrison is a two-time MLB All-Star and a career .270 hitter. He has experience playing at a multitude of positions in the field but was limited to 40 games last year for the Philadelphia Phillies before being DFA’d. Harrison then spent time in the minors with the Texas Rangers organization to close out the season.
It is an NRI (non-roster invite) deal for Harrison, which means that it is a minor-league contract with an invite to MLB spring training. The versatile veteran should have a chance to contribute in Cincinnati though, especially since one longtime batter is no longer in the mix there.
MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided reports this week that the veteran catcher Sanchez is drawing interest from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sanchez remains a free agent after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres.
A two-time All-Star with the New York Yankees, Sanchez, 31, had been hovering around the Mendoza Line over the last several years. But he had a resurgence in San Diego last year, hitting 19 home runs and 46 RBIs in just 72 games. Sanchez also developed strong chemistry with Padres lefty Blake Snell, operating as his main catcher as Snell won the NL Cy Young Award.
With 23-year-old catching phenom Endy Rodriguez out for the entire 2024 season after UCL surgery, the Pirates are down to the underwhelming duo of Jason Delay and Henry Davis behind the plate. They were recently linked to a former All-Star on the mound, but Pittsburgh may be better off addressing their catcher situation right now.
