Phillies free agency big board: Should Philadelphia sign Jorge Soler?
Aaron Nola may have re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, but President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski is certainly not done. In fact, he is just getting started. There are a few very attractive names the Phillies can target, so I’ve created a big board of free agents that fits what the Phillies need.
The last name put on the board was the number one free agent closer to the market, Josh Hader. Next up is a player who has given Phillies fans some headaches over the years, but his World Series wins in 2016, and 2021 make him yet another player with a taste of victory the Phillies can add to their ros
The Cuban slugger is going into free agency following one of his best seasons. His 36 home runs helped power Miami to their first non-COVID playoff appearance since 2003.
The 2021 World Series MVP and two-time World Series champion plays both outfield and DH, but he was primarily a DH for the Marlins this past season. With Bryce Harper staying put at first base, there is some competition in the outfield. Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache are the two as of right now that I would consider the platoon outfielders, but the addition of Soler could knock one of them out.
It all depends on how the Phillies feel about Rojas. His defense is irreplaceable, but the bat isn’t there just yet, and it’s up to the Phillies to decide if they want to keep Rojas in the lineup with the hopes he’ll figure it out over time or give him that development in Triple
When you look at his batting average, it is truly mind-blowing how much better the Phillies are with Kyle Schwarber in the leadoff spot than without, so I would not see any change to start the year regardless of who the Phillies acquire.
Soler’s 35 home runs and 90 RBI bat make him one of the ideal guys in the cleanup spot if they were to acquire him.
Concerns?
The Phillies’ power bats had their power stopped in the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS in 2023. The concern would be him being just another bat that has a low batting average hidden by tons of home runs. Those players are fine to have, but your entire lineup cannot be filled with this type of player. He played 134 of 162 regular-season games this year, so he is a bat you’d expect to see in most lineups of the season.
Soler is not known for his defense, posting a -1.5 dWAR in the outfield this season, which would draw conversation about who to stick in left field: Schwarber or Soler. In that conversation, you must ask yourself if their subpar defense can be hidden well enough by their bat.
Are the Phillies a likely landing spot?
While the Phillies will certainly be looking to land a right-handed bat, I’m not convinced this is the bat they will go with. They have a designated hitter on the roster already in Kyle Schwarber and I think they want him to just focus on hitting dingers 488 feet.
The Phillies are expected to lose Rhys Hoskins. While you can’t replace a player – or person – like Rhys, you have to try and substitute the bat as best you can. There are two ways Dave Dombrowski can go about this: switch the power bat with one that hits for average or replace the power.
Jorge Soler is the latter of those two options. While I believe the Phillies should get a bat that hits for average, Soler is a power bat that the Phillies would probably keep an eye on throughout the offseason.
