The Atlanta Braves have acquired OF/DH Jorge Soler from the San Francisco Giants, a reunion from their 2021 World Series run. Reliever Luke Jackson will also head to Atlanta, with reliever Tyler Maztek and minor league infielder Sabin Ceballos headed to the Bay Area in return. The Braves have designated Darius Vines for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

Significance for the Braves

With Ronald Acuna Jr.’s second ACL tear sidelining him for the rest of the season, the Braves have attempted to combat his MVP production with veteran bats such as Eddie Rosario. Unfortunately, he has slashed just .153/.190/.239 in 16 games in Atlanta this year, joining the rest of the Braves lineup in their struggles offensively.

Atlanta’s usual powerhouse offense have been completely deflated this year, and Soler should be expected to slot into an everyday right field position. This would move the struggling Adam Duvall to a bench role, who has been playing right field due to Michael Harris II‘s injury shifting Jarred Kelenic to center.

This trade ends Soler’s stint in the Bay Area prematurely as he is just half a season into the three year $42 million deal he signed in the offseason. While he struggled for most of his time there, he has an excellent .280/.374/.486 slash line since the beginning of June. The Braves collectively has hit to a .227/.281/.417 slash line in July, meaning Soler’s production should be a major upgrade in their hopes of a playoff push as they desperately hang on to a Wild Card spot.

Luke Jackson will also be a returning piece of the 2021 World Series team. He’s struggled to a 5.40 ERA this year but his peripherals are still solid, especially his 88th percentile ground ball rate (52%). He’s just a year removed from a sub 3 ERA season, and returning to Atlanta could help him return to form as the Braves plan to plug him into middle relief innings.

Expectations

This trade comes as a pure salary dump as they’re figuring out whether to deal Blake Snell or not in midst of a disappointing season. With the Braves struggling, the addition of Jorge Soler can hopefully bring back some of their 2021 magic in an otherwise down year in Atlanta.

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