Red Sox are on the verge of signing Jorge Soler, and the deal is expected to happen within the next 24 hours.
One of the top hitters still available in free agency is Jorge Soler. After hitting 36 home runs in a season that forced him to turn down a $13 million player option with the Marlins, he is undoubtedly looking for a multi-year contract.
Soler informed reporters in Cuba at the start of the month that Miami had expressed no interest in getting back together. It still appears unlikely that he will go back to South Florida. The Fish have had some communication with the free agent slugger, but Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald stated Wednesday that they would probably only bring him back on a low deal.
At the beginning of the offseason, the Marlins declined a qualifying offer worth $20.325MM. For a low-payroll team, that wasn’t shocking, but it didn’t help their chances of re-signing him. Even if Soler can’t get that amount of pay every year, over two or three years, he should easily exceed that guarantee.
This offseason, Soler reportedly piqued the curiosity of Boston, Seattle, Arizona, and Toronto. The Blue Jays are the best suitor out of that group. The Mariners and D-Backs are most likely out; Arizona re-signed Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and agreed to a $12.5MM deal with Joc Pederson this evening, while Seattle signed Mitch Garver and acquired Mitch Haniger.
Despite their apparent lack of payroll flexibility, Boston management has stated that the Red Sox are still open to adding a right-handed bat. They allegedly refused to extend Teoscar Hernández’s contract past two guaranteed years; they’re probably doing the same with Soler.
However, the Jays are still active in the market. This morning, TSN’s Scott Mitchell tweeted that Toronto is “very real” about Soler. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported tonight that talks are still ongoing between the parties. The Jays still obviously need offensive support, especially at the designated hitter position. Toronto hasn’t found a replacement after allowing Brandon Belt to enter free agency.
The Jays are projected by Roster Resource to be exactly above the $237MM base luxury tax threshold. They will pay taxes this year at the second-time payer rate because they exceeded the threshold in 2023. In the range of $237 million to $257 million, they would be subject to a 32% tax, with penalties increasing as the amount exceeds $257 million.
