Yesterday, Alex Anthopoulos kicked off the Braves offseason with a trade, sending fan-favorite Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for pitcher Griffin Canning. While it’s bittersweet to see Soler leave—especially given his contributions and enduring popularity in Atlanta—the move felt necessary. Both Soler and Marcell Ozuna are designated hitters; they cannot co-exist. Soler, in this case, became the obvious choice to trade.
The return in Canning isn’t exactly sexy. Coming from the Angels, he holds a career 4.78 ERA over five seasons and has just one year of arbitration left, likely landing him around $5 million for next season. If you squint hard enough, Canning has the potential to be a serviceable pitcher, though realistically, it’s challenging to imagine him as a fixture in the Braves rotation. While $5 million is a reasonable amount for a fifth starter, and Canning’s performance could benefit from a fresh start, holding onto him would be a gamble because he doesn’t have any options remaining. That said, it wouldn’t be the first time Anthopoulos worked his magic on a pitcher with untapped potential.
Yet there are complications. According to recent reports from Mark Bowman, Charlie Morton may return for another season, which could leave no room for Canning. Even if Morton retires, the Braves are likely to pursue other rotation upgrades, making it seem unlikely they’d pay Canning just to compete for a roster spot.
If the Braves ultimately decide to non-tender Canning, they’ll come out even better financially. Per Spotrac, Jorge Soler will cost $32 million against the payroll over the next two seasons; $26 million of that is owed in cash. With Atlanta sending no cash to the Angels, they now have additional financial flexibility. That alone makes this trade a win for Anthopoulos and his staff, who can use these savings to pursue other free-agent targets in the coming months.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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