Miami Marlins hitter declines player option

Neil Raymond

Jorge Soler / Sarah Stier/GettyImages

Two Miami Marlins players were nominated for Silver Sluggers for this season. One of them may no longer be with the team by the time of the announcement. Designated Hitter Jorge Soler declined his $13 million player option for the 2024 season. First baseman Josh Bell now has to decide on his option as well. In the meantime, what happens now with Soler?

The Miami Marlins may have lost designated hitter Jorge Soler to free agency already.

Jorge Soler was pretty solid this past season for the Miami Marlins. He hit .250/.341/.512, with 36 home runs and 75 RBI in 137 games and 504 AB. The downside however was his defense, that was worth a lousy -1.5 dWAR. Overall however he was worth a much better 1.8 WAR, though it's still not as impressive at the end of the day. Soler is an elite power hitter, who struggles with contact and is a liability in the field.

Did I mention an even bigger issue with Soler? Soler has proven to be the definition of inconsistency throughout his career. Soler began his career as a top prospect for the Chicago Cubs. He batted a meager .258/.328/.434 from 2014-2016, and alarmingly only played in 101 games throughout that stretch due to injuries.

The Chicago Cubs then traded Jorge Soler to the Kansas City Royals, who were expecting a breakout that never happened in Chicago. He was a complete bust for them in 2017-2018, batting just.228/.322/.403 in 96 games during that stretch. It looked like he was perhaps becoming a non-tender candidate, but then the juiced ball 2019 season took place. He proceeded to bat .265/.354/.569, with an amazing 48 home runs and 117 RBI, in 162 games and 589 AB. That made him look like a superstar.

The shortened 2020 season however ended the fairy tale, as he batted .228/.326/.443. 2021 saw him bat .223/.316/.432 between Kansas City and the Atlanta Braves in a would-be redemption season. He made up for the lously line by winning the World Series MVP with Atlanta. Joining the Miami Marlins for the 2022 season, he batted an abysmal .207/.295/.400, in 72 games and 270 AB due to you guessed it injuries.

The Miami Marlins need offense and power, but Jorge Soler needs to and almost certainly will disappoint someone else with a multi-year deal.

Neil Raymond

Neil Raymond has been a lifelong Miami Marlins fan, with the 2003 playoff run being one of his favorite childhood memories. Neil has been called a "walking encyclopedia" for his knowledge of MLB statistics and the sport's history. He follows every game and actually invented his own statistic for player value on his side project BaseballAnalyzed.com. Writing for Fansided's Marlin Maniac since 2022, he also loves Fantasy Baseball and as such is an FSWA member. Neil also loves to travel, read and follow "Futbol" teams: Germany, Argentina, Greece, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and NYC FC.