Jorge Soler traded from Braves to Angels for Griffin Canning | prior to MLB free agency News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

A day after the end of the 2024 MLB season, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels completed a trade on Thursday.

The Angels announced that they have acquired one-time All-Star and two-time World Series winner Jorge Soler from the Braves in exchange for starting pitcher Griffin Canning

News of the trade came less than 24 hours after the Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series with their 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5.

Soler, 32, recently completed his second stint with the Braves after they acquired him in a trade with the San Francisco Giants in July.

He hit .243/.356/.493 with nine home runs and 24 RBI in 49 games for the Braves, and when his time with the Giants is also taken into account, he finished the season hitting .241/.338/.442 21 home runs and 64 RBI.

Soler’s first stint with the Braves in 2021 was far more memorable, as he made a huge impact following his midseason trade from the Kansas City Royals.

Replacing the injured Ronald Acuña Jr., Soler hit .269 with 14 home runs and 33 RBI in 55 regular-season games for the Braves and then hit .300 with three home runs and six RBI in Atlanta’s World Series victory the Houston Astros, which earned him World Series MVP honors.

This was Soler’s second World Series win, having previously won the 2016 World Series with the Chicago Cubs. He has a reputation as a standout playoff player, hitting .275 with seven home runs and 12 RBI in 30 postseason games with the Cubs, Braves and Miami Marlins.

Soler was named an All-Star for the first and only time in 2023 when he slashed .250/.341/.512 with 36 home runs and 75 RBI with the Marlins.

Canning, 28, is a right-handed pitcher who spent his entire five-year MLB career with the Angels, almost exclusively as a starter.

For his career, Canning is 25-34 with a 4.78 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 483 strikeouts over 508 innings. The 2024 season was one of his worst to date, as he went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 130 strikeouts over 171.2 innings.

The trade should save the Braves some money, as Canning is signed at a salary of $5.4 million through 2025, while Soler will make $16 million per year through 2026.

Soler will provide the Angels with some outfield and power hitting insurance in the event that Mike Trout again misses significant time due to injury after appearing in just 29 games last season.

As for Canning, he could potentially be a replacement for one of Max Fried or Charlie Morton in Atlanta’s starting lineup, both of whom are headed to free agency this offseason.