Clean(Up) Soler Energy: The Miami Marlins Sign Their Newest Power Source

With the lack of remaining power options available on the market, the Miami Marlins have invested in Soler energy for the 2022 season–Jorge Soler, that is.

Miami signed the eight-year veteran to a three-year/$36 million contract on Saturday, as the team has been desperately searching to add power to the heart of the lineup through the rapid dash of free agency. The deal, which has opt-outs after the first and second years, rewards Soler for an exceptional second half and postseason run with the World Series champion Atlanta Braves last season.

While the $12 million AAV and complete freedom to opt out may seem like a reach, the Marlins had very few options remaining on the market.

Slim Pickings for Big Swingers

We can all be honest right now; barring an absolutely expectation-shattering contract and contract pitch, Trevor Story (who has now agreed to terms with the Boston Red Sox) was never going to sign with the Miami Marlins. Once you remove Story’s bat from the market, it becomes a little bit more obvious why the Marlins decided to commit to Soler.

Despite putting up atrocious numbers with the Kansas City Royals before the trade in 2021 (to the tune of a .658 OPS), Soler still managed to slug 27 home runs last season. Those 27 homers, as well as his 54 extra-base hits, would have led the Marlins in 2021.

The unavoidable truth of the matter is that the Marlins offense is still short on impact power bats—as we saw last season. In 2021, Miami ranked 28^th in the MLB in home runs, 27^th in doubles, and 29^th in slugging percentage. While adding Avisail Garcia (four-year/$53 million) took one step towards addressing the problem, the team still needed more. And behind Soler… the free agent bin was a mix of players aging up and trending down.

The Potential Benefits of Soler Power

• HUGE HR potential
• Fills the hole at DH but can rotate into the outfield without needing innings
• An opportunity to make an endless number of “solar” wordplay twists
• Perhaps, during Soler’s time in Atlanta, he was around while Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos was sharing secrets about achieving postseason success

The Marlins Grabbed The Biggest Fish They Could Manage

Jorge Soler hit 48 home runs in the 2019 MLB season, good for the 67th-most in a single season in MLB history. Even if that sounds more impressive than it is, just appreciate it for a second. That is nice, and was almost very nice. Two years ago, Soler had the 67th best home-run hitting season in baseball history. Use the Men-In-Black memory eraser to delete the part of your memory currently thinking about juiced balls and say “whoa” to Jorge Soler’s 48 home runs, the 67th-best total in a season.

Now that your memory has returned, we can also acknowledge that Soler only has 35 HR in 192 games over the past two seasons, though that isn’t proof that his power has disappeared. On the contrary, if we are basing Soler’s 2022 potential off of his most recent results, look no further than his 2021 World Series MVP Award– the result of his three WS home runs and his .800 SLG over the course of the six-game series. Of course it would be foolish (though not impossible…) to assume that Soler will carry the momentum from the World Series through the offseason. But the Marlins looked at the market and realized: you don’t get (m)any affordable opportunities to sign a 48-HR hitter two years removed from their power prime.

That’s exactly what the Marlins were able to do.

Yes, the team did have to sacrifice a little bit in the form of opt-outs following seasons one and two. And yes, that does also limit part of the team’s flexibility moving forward.

But those aspects of the deal don’t change the fact that this is a move that benefits the Marlins offense. Even though the contract is player-friendly, it was necessary to lure the only plausible remaining power bat on the market to come to Miami. The fact that Soler comes fresh from a division rival is just an added level to it all.

The Available Non-Soler Power Options

Albert Pujols (42): -0.6 WAR: Pujols was still able to manage 17 homers last season, but there is a reason the Angels were so willing to facilitate his midseason journey to the Dodgers. It may have been cool to have Pujols around the Marlins clubhouse so the young players in the franchise can hear stories about how baseball used to be, but besides that… there is no fit for Albert.

Michael Conforto (29): 0.8 WAR: Just one-year removed from turning down a nine-figure contract offer from the New York Mets, Conforto finds himself without a home as opening day inches closer. One likely reason? His agent, Scott Boras playing hardball (No Keanu Reeves in sight) with interested teams. After a down season with just 14 home runs, Conforto may have momentarily tanked his market. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he was ever an option for the Marlins. Any deal that would have brought Conforto to Miami almost certainly would have been much-higher AAV, and come attached to a promise of an everyday outfield role. Both the expense and the positional commitment exceed that of the Soler deal. That being said, Miami will probably be seeing a lot of Conforto again this season as the Mets remain his expected destination.

Kevin Pillar (33): 0.5 WAR: Yes really, this is how slim the pickings were when the Marlins signed Soler. Pillar registered 15 homers last season for NYM. That figure can be boosted a bit due to Pillar missing two weeks early in the season after taking a pitch to the face and requiring multiple facial surgeries. As an example of toughness in the face of pain and injury, Pillar could have been a quality pickup. But for a team looking to add power while embracing potential, Pillar would have been a nearly-pointless addition.

Tommy Pham (34): 1.4 WAR: Back-to-back down seasons have seen Pham’s value drop noticeably, and he remains without a team as the season approaches as a result. While Pham still has a solid walk rate and is an above-average fielder in LF, he just does not represent the true potential power bat that the Marlins were searching for. Pham slugged 15 homers in 2021, but he is five seasons removed from his career-high 23 homers in 2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals. As outfield depth, Pham would have been passable–but it is power potential, not depth that the Marlins were looking for.

As you can see, the remaining market has very little to choose from in terms of extra-base hits and/or heart-of-the-order power.