Two-time World Series champion Jorge Soler says his postseason experience will help him mentor younger teammates in his first season with the Los Angeles Angels. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
TEMPE – The Los Angeles Angels made a big splash during the offseason, trading for power hitter Jorge Soler.
The Angels are Soler’s sixth team in an 11-year big league career. So he’s used to adjusting quickly to a new clubhouse.
“The first time I got traded, it was tough,” Soler said. “It’s a little hard for me to make friendships at first, but from being traded my first time up to now, I know how to handle it with my emotions.”
The Atlanta Braves sent Soler to the Angels on Halloween in 2024, a day after the World Series ended, and he has two years remaining on his contract. Soler had a strong spring training, showing why the Angels went after him to fill their cleanup spot behind three-time American League MVP Mike Trout.
“It’s been a great experience so far hitting behind him (Mike Trout), seeing him every day and seeing his work ethic,” Soler said. “Obviously he is one of the greatest players to ever play this game, and it helps me to be around an elite player like he is.”
Soler batted over .300 with 16 hits, five home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.006 OPS this spring. He is a career .243 hitter who belted 191 home runs and drove in 516 runs with a .794 OPS over 11 seasons in the major leagues.
“I was a little bummed out at first just thinking about my family, but that’s what life is about,” Soler, a 33-year-old from La Habana, Cuba, said about the trade. “I am happy I am here now and feeling comfortable each day, ready to contribute.”
Soler moved to the United States when he was 18 to play professionally and made his MLB debut with the Chicago Cubs as a 22-year-old in 2014. He was a key contributor to the 2016 World Series champion Cubs, where he won his first ring.
He was traded by the Cubs to the Kansas City Royals after the World Series that offseason. He spent four years in Kansas City, where he had the best season of his career, batting .265 while leading the American League with 48 home runs and driving in 117 RBI.
He captured his second World Series ring in 2021, when he was traded from the Royals to the Atlanta Braves.
He only played 55 games with the Braves but hit 14 home runs with 33 RBI, and then carried his hot stick into the postseason and went on to earn World Series MVP honors after batting .300 with three home runs, a double and six RBI against the Houston Astros.
It’s the kind of production the Angels are looking for as they take a 10-year postseason drought – the longest in the major leagues – into the 2025 season.
“For me to be an inspiration to these young players, I’m going to be whatever they want me to be as a leader and as a veteran,” Soler said. “We have good vibes in the clubhouse, and when you have good vibes, everything flows, and a player like myself who loves winning more than anything, everything else will take care of itself.”
The Angels open the regular season on the road Thursday with a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox. Even though spring training doesn’t count, Angels fans should be intrigued by what they have seen out of the Halos’ new addition.
The Angels’ young hitters get to be around a lot of talented baseball players, but being around a two-time World Series champion and watching how they go about their business has been eye-opening.
Angels outfielder Jo Adell, a Gold Glove finalist last season, is still getting his feet wet in the big leagues and says being around Soler has helped him.
“One thing that you can see when he steps in the box, he is the type of guy that is going to get his swing off,” Adell said. “We are very similar players who can hit long balls and hunt for mistakes, and he is never up there getting cheated on his swings.”
The goal has not changed for the Angels – stay healthy and try to get back to the postseason. Over the years, the team has made coaching staff changes, added different players who have won World Series titles and now it is building through a young core.
Angels outfielder Taylor Ward is excited for the 2025 campaign and looking forward to a lot of the roster’s new additions, including the extra power the lineup gains by adding Soler.
“We have a lot of playoff-experience guys on our team and Jorge is a great hitter,” Ward said. “He is going to be a powerful and steady bat for us and the main thing for us is staying healthy, having everyone in the lineup is important, and I believe we will have a great shot.”