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Angels land slugger Jorge Soler from Braves for RHP Griffin Canning
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Angels land slugger Jorge Soler from Braves for RHP Griffin Canning

The Atlanta Braves have traded their outfielder Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels for right-handed Griffin Canned Foods Thursday, kicking off the hot season with a deal that sends a power bat to Los Angeles and adds depth to Atlanta’s rotation, the teams announced.

This is the second time Soler has been traded in the last three months. After signing a three-year, $42 million free agent deal with San Francisco last winter, the Giants traded him to Atlanta, where he won a championship in 2021.

Soler, whose mammoth home run in Game 6 of the World Series remains a hallmark for this Braves team, hit .241/.338/.442 with 21 homers and 64 RBIs in 142 games last season. He is owed $32 million over the last two years of his contract.

Canning, 28, is a former second-round pick who made his debut in 2019 less than two years after being drafted. He started 31 games for the Angels last season, posting a 5.19 ERA in 171.2 innings with 130 walks, 66 strikeouts and 31 home runs allowed. He will hit free agency after the 2025 season.

Left-handed Max Frit and right-handed Charlie Mortonthe two pillars of the Braves rotation are free agents this winter. Teams can re-sign free agents by Monday at 5 p.m. ET, when the sport’s quiet period ends and unrestricted free agency begins.

Teams must also submit qualifying offers to players by the 5 p.m. deadline. Fried, who is one of the top free agents on the market, should receive one.

The deal inserts Soler into a roster that features a number of promising young players, including catcher Logan O’Hoppe, the shortstop. Zach Neto and first baseman Nolan Schanuel. Soler is likely to become the Angels’ designated hitter, with Mike Trout, Taylor Neighborhood, Jo Adell And Mickey Moniak ready to take the majority of bats in the outfield. Los Angeles finished in last place in the American League West last season with a 63-99 record.

The Braves, who were swept in the wild card round by San Diego during an injury-plagued season, are still waiting for the National League Cy Young winner. Chris Saleveteran Reynaldo Lopez and remarkable recruit Spencer Schwellenbach in their rotation. Moving Soler’s money allows the Braves, who are typically active early in the offseason, to target free agents or other acquisitions via trade, which they did last year when acquiring Sale from Boston .