Braves trade Jorge Soler to Angels for Griffin Canning

Around 14 hours after the end of the 2024 MLB season, the hot oven is already running at full speed.

The Braves traded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Angels for pitcher Griffin Canning on Thursday afternoon.

Soler, who the Braves acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline, finished the season with 21 home runs, 64 RBIs, a .241 average and a .780 OPS.

The 32-year-old was an All-Star with the Marlins in 2023 when he hit 36 ​​home runs and 75 RBIs for a .250 average and an .853 OPS.

Soler played primarily in right field for Atlanta after Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL, but Acuna's expected return at the start of the 2025 season made Soler expendable.

The Braves are also losing some salary as Soler enters the second season of a three-year, $42 million contract and is owed $26 million.

Canning, 28, threw a career-high 171 2/3 innings in 2024, but struggled with a 5.19 ERA and a 1.398 WHIP while allowing 31 home runs.

The right-hander is entering his final year as an arbitrator and is expected to have around $5 million left through 2025.

The trade is the start of a blockbuster offseason led by Juan Soto's free agency.

Soto, the 26-year-old client of Scott Boras who was acquired by the Yankees and helped them get to the World Series, said after the team's loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night that no team has an advantage because he has a monster contract strive for.