The White Sox need some run-producers in their lineup. They may also soon need a designated hitter if Eloy Jimenez gets traded this offseason. Luckily there is a former Kansas City Royal on the market that could check off some of these boxes.
Jorge Soler declined his $13 million option with the Miami Marlins earlier this offseason and it is rumored that multiple teams are already in the mix to sign him. The White Sox should be one of those teams.
White Sox fans should already be familiar with Soler. After beginning his career on the North Side of town he was traded to Kansas City. While donning a different shade of blue Soler blossomed as a power hitter. In 2019 he led the league with 48 home runs while also leading the Royals with 117 RBIs. Soler spent five seasons in Kansas City before getting traded to Atlanta.
On top of his power-hitting ability, he has also proven himself on baseball’s biggest stage. He helped lead the Braves to the World Series with 14 home runs in the second half of the season. In the postseason he continued to rake, earning World Series MVP honors after batting .300 with a 1.191 OPS, three home runs, and six RBIs. Soler also won a ring with the Cubs back in 2016, appearing in two games during the World Series. That championship pedigree could be useful in the White Sox clubhouse.
Soler is fresh off another strong season that saw him hit 36 home runs in 137 games with the Marlins. He was also able to produce an 11.4% walk rate which is something the White Sox need more of in their lineup. The 32-year-old did own a hefty 24.3% strikeout rate but he still managed to produce a respectable .250/.341/.512 slash line.
The ongoing joke about the White Sox only targeting former Kansas City Royals is justified but in this instance, it would make sense. A combination of Luis Robert and Soler in the middle of the lineup would give the White Sox two players with 30-plus home run potential.
Soler has also worked with White Sox manager Pedro Grifol before while the two were still in Kansas City. At the time of Soler’s arrival, the Royals were known as a small ball team. He spent the majority of his first two seasons in Triple-A trying to work on his swing. Before his big breakout year in 2019, he worked closely with Grifol over the offseason, using video work and data sessions to implement more power in his swing. The results speak for themselves.
Soler has shown some inconsistency from year to year as a hitter. But there have been enough tangible results to warrant a role of the dice instead of just waiting on Eloy Jimenez to finally develop into the hitter everyone thinks he can be.
