To kick off the offseason, the Los Angeles Angels have acquired Jorge Soler via trade and Kyle Hendricks through free agency.

The Angels continued their ongoing mediocrity in 2024, finishing last in the AL West division with a paltry 63-99 record. With the team seemingly becoming directionless, the front office has made two head scratching acquisitions to begin the offseason.

Jorge Soler Trade

To begin, the Angels shipped away starter Griffin Canning to Atlanta in exchange for designated hitter Jorge Soler. The Angels will be taking on the remaining two years and $26 million left on his contract. As for Atlanta, Canning will be a one year rental as he is on the last year of arbitration, projected at $5.1 million.

Soler was traded to Atlanta from San Francisco during the 2024 trade deadline, returning for his second stint as a Brave. He has continued to do damage in the middle of the order, as he slashed .263/.366/.489 with 21 home runs in 2024 between San Francisco and Atlanta.

Soler’s future with the Braves was blurry, making a trade out of there imminent. With Soler’s defensive liabilities and Marcell Ozuna clogging the DH spot, there was no lane for Soler to slide into the everyday lineup. With the Angels however, he will have a consistent role, slotting in as the everyday DH.

The move isn’t confusing because of Soler’s abilities, but rather the Angels roster construction. LA was without Mike Trout for the majority of the year, as he suffered a meniscus tear on April 29th, effectively ending his season. The aging star has only played 100 games in one out of the past four seasons, constantly on the shelf with injuries.

At 33 years old, Trout isn’t getting ay healthier, and would benefit from starts at DH. However, by bringing in Soler to plug in as an everyday DH, it pretty much pigeonholes Trout as the everyday centerfielder again, putting him in risk of yet another injury.

Kyle Hendricks Signing

After coming off the worst season of his 11 year career, all in the north side of Chicago, Kyle Hendricks is making his way to the West Coast to join the Los Angeles Angels.

Hendricks posted a 5.92 ERA (67 ERA+) in 130.2 innings in 2024, and will now join the lackluster Angels rotation.

The 35 year old will be making $2.5 million on a one year deal, making it a low risk, but also low reward signing. Hendricks has just one season in the past four years where he’s posted an ERA+ over 100, and will be entering the 2025 season at the age of 35.

While he limited hard contact well in 2024 (87th percentile Hard-Hit%), his xERA still stood at 4.80. There is truly nothing Hendricks does well analytically and statistically anymore, meaning he will most likely serve as veteran presence and an innings eater.

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