Come on, you didn’t think Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos would go quietly into the trade deadline, did you?
Anthopoulos, who pulled off the three-outfield miracle in 2021 before the trade deadline when their season was on the brink, only to win the World Series, this time resorted to a checkbook.
Atlanta acquired outfielder Jorge Soler, their 2021 World Series MVP, along with veteran reliever Luke Jackson, for only reliever TylerMatzek and minor-league infielder Sabin Ceballos.
The key to the deal?
Cold cash.
Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.
Atlanta is picking up every penny of the contracts, paying in excess of $30 million. They will owe Soler $13 million in 2025 and $13 million in 2026, while Jackson has a $7 million club option or a $2 million buyout. They also owe Soler and Jackson about $5 million for the remainder of this season.
Just like that, Atlanta, who lost reigning MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. to a season-ending knee injury in May, just like in 2021, found a power-hitting outfielder to replace him. When Acuna went down in 2021, Atlanta acquired Soler, Eddie Rosario and Joc Pederson. Now, they have the band back together with Soler and Rosario, along with Jackson, who was also on their 2021 World Series team.
Atlanta (56-49), without ace Spencer Strider for the season, might have even bigger hurdles this time around. They are trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by 8 ½ games in the NL East, and just one-half game ahead of the New York Mets for the top wild-card spot.
The San Francisco Giants (53-55), who are just four games out in the wild-card race, may be headed the other direction. Maybe if Soler (.240, 12 homers, 40 RBI) had performed better, they wouldn’t be in this predicament, but after holding their cards close to the vest, It appears now they could be selling.
If the Giants indeed have decided to sell, it means that Cy Young winner Blake Snell could be out the door, along with outfielders Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski, reliever Taylor Rogers, and perhaps third baseman Matt Chapman.
The Giants will be forced to show their hand for all of their competitors to see Tuesday before the 6 p.m. ET deadline. The clock is ticking on the Giants’ ultimate decision, while Atlanta plans to be busy playing baseball once again in October.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.