The Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves have made the first trade of the MLB offseason.
The Angels acquired outfielder Jorge Soler from the Braves for pitcher Griffin Canning, the team announced on Thursday.
Soler is the headliner of the trade. He was an All-Star in 2023 after hitting 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins. After the season, he signed a 3-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. In 2024, Soler batted .241 with a .780 OPS across 142 games split with two teams.
Soler spent most of the season with the Giants, but they traded him to the Braves before the deadline. That was Soler’s second stint with the Braves. He has two years left on his contract. Soler has 191 career home runs, which includes his 48-home run season with the Kansas City Royals in 2019.
The Braves are taking a chance that they can help Canning turn things around.
The 28-year-old pitcher went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 2024. He allowed 99 earned runs, the highest mark by a pitcher in the league. He also surrendered 31 home runs. Perhaps the Braves figure they can get more out of the former second-round pick, who has made 94 career starts and has a 4.78 ERA.
Canning has one more season under team control before he is set to become a free agent.
