Chicago White Sox: Jorge Soler would make a great addition

The 2021 World Series surely got off to a bang. Like, it literally did as Jorge Soler took the third pitch of the ballgame deep to give the Atlanta Braves a 1-0 lead over the Houston Astros in game one. It was the first time in Major League Baseball history (that’s a long time) that a player hit a home run in the first plate appearance of an entire World Series.

The Braves welcomed back Soler as he was injured for a minute there. He was one of their many great trade deadline acquisitions that helped them rebuild their outfield. After this season, he may be looking for another home again. The Chicago White Sox would be smart to try and get him.

Soler has a couple of attachments to the city. For one, he began his career with the Chicago Cubs. He was a nice up-and-coming player for them before they traded him to the Kansas City Royals in the Wade Davis deal. He went on to become a star-level player with the Royals.

Part of that was because he was able to stay healthy. He played a full 162 games in 2019 and was magnificent. Before that, his career-high games played was 101 and then after that, it was 86. He kept dealing with different things that kept him out of the lineup so playing was the biggest key for him. In that 2019 season, he had 48 home runs which led the American League.

Jorge Soler would be a great fit with the Chicago White Sox for the 2022 season.

Playing with Kansas City also means that he knows the AL Central well. He had five years playing in that division so you know that he can play well in those parks. He was traded by the Royals to the Braves at this year’s trade deadline.

In 2021, split between the two teams, he had 27 home runs, 70 RBIs, 74 runs scored, and slashed .223/.316/.432 for an OPS of .749. To be honest with you, those numbers aren’t that great beyond the good power numbers. He had a -0.4 WAR for a reason. However, providing power from the right field or DH position is exactly what the White Sox needs.

Surrounded by a lineup like the White Sox have, he might be able to thrive. He also can clearly come up clutch when his team needs him the most which is something the White Sox needs for 2022. They plan on being a World Series level team again so adding some power like this may go a long way.