Surprise Jorge Soler trade from New York Giants could open door for Marco Luciano – NBC Sports by Area and California

SAN FRANCISCO — The New York Giants brought in Wilmer Flores and Thayirua Estrada to help close the deal for Jorge Soler in February. A few days after training camp began, the team held a small news conference in the Scottsdale Arena to introduce a player they believe could be a starter for the team over the next three seasons.

But it wasn’t long before team officials began to feel bad. They didn’t feel like Soler, who hit 36 ​​home runs in Miami last year, was entirely comfortable hitting in the cold Oracle Park, and the power numbers were matching those doubts. As the first half wore on, another thought began to settle in their minds.

Bob Melvin needed the designated hitter position for several of his veteran players, and at times the Giants wanted to give Heliot Ramos a break by letting him focus solely on hitting, but they only dedicated the position to one player, and not just for this season.

Late Monday night, the New York Giants made a trade to try to clear things up a bit. Soler’s performance had been rocky over the past week, and when the Atlanta Braves approached him looking for a reunion, the head office saw an opportunity to make a surprise payroll-cutting move.

The Giants sent Soler and Luke Jackson to Atlanta, where they were both World Series champions in 2021. In return, they got injured left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek and young center fielder Sabin Ceballos, a promising middle-of-the-pack prospect.

The deal is mostly about settling Soler’s salary, but not just for this season.

The Giants will save about $4 million this year, but Soler was due $26 million over the next two seasons, which the Braves will receive in full. The team is also now responsible for Jackson’s contract, which includes a team option that will not be paid, but also $2 million in compensation.

The move was the first significant move before the MLB trade deadline on Tuesday, and it suggests the New York Giants may not be making the right choice. Giving up that much salary and a starting offensive player might seem like a sellout, but that’s not what the Giants are looking at.

They’ve talked to teams about starting pitchers, including Blake Snell, but as of Monday night, they hadn’t gotten any buy-in. They don’t expect to get rid of Snell before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline, though they’re still getting calls about him and veteran pitcher Alex Cobb.

If a deal is reached Tuesday, it would open up a starting spot for rookie Hayden Birdsong, who would add to the youth movement. The Giants are also hoping to find a true center fielder, which would allow them to move Ramos to the corner.

They’re ready to lean more on youth, and Soler’s move is part of that. The Giants have been looking for a way to get 22-year-old Marco Luciano, who has hit six home runs and a solid strikeout-to-walk ratio in the third inning this month, out of the bullpen. Their plan is to call up Luciano and let him try and stay this time.

Luciano was a former major league quarterback, but the Giants are finally willing to admit he doesn’t fit the defense at the position, which now belongs to Tyler Fitzgerald anyway. Luciano has been a minor league quarterback, but the staff isn’t yet entirely comfortable with the transition. He seems likely to get the majority of second-inning at designated hitter if he can hit, with the others sliding into that position as they need defensive breaks.

Soler played in 91 games as a designated hitter for the Giants, posting a .749 OPS but hitting just 12 home runs. When Soler was introduced in February, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said something that ended up being prophetic.

“When we had a Zoom call with Jorge a couple weeks ago, Bob said something about crucial hits,” Zaidi said at the time. “And Jorge said, ‘I like crucial hits, too.’”

Soler has done a good job in that role at times, but that’s not why the Giants initially gave him a three-year deal. They have plenty of other players — Fitzgerald, Lamonte Wade Jr., Mike Yastrzemski — who can step up in the lineup, but they were hoping Soler could finally give them 30 points. They’ll see if Luciano is ready to provide that kind of thunder anytime soon.

Monday’s deal will save the Giants more than $30 million in total, though it comes with some risks. First and foremost, they bolster a team they’re chasing in the wild-card race, where they have little room for error.

They also put a lot of weight on Luciano, and if more veterans are cut, they’ll be relying heavily on rookies in their quest for a playoff spot. But given the way things have gone this season, that plan probably doesn’t pose any risk to Zaidi and the rest of the front office right now.

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