The Miami Marlins should get credit for a brilliant non-move

The Miami Marlins had a bit of a controversial off-season when it comes to the DH position. It was a bit odd to see The Fish not sign one, especially with Jorge Soler seemingly on his way out. I was puzzled by the team not giving him a Qualifying Offer. There was also quite a bit of confusion and disappointment with Peter Bendix not bringing in a replacement. It all looks clearer now.

Jorge Soler would've been a terrible contract for the Miami Marlins.

The Miami Marlins finally moved on from a terrible contract earlier this season. A lot of fans would've been complaining about another one. That other one would've been Soler, if he got the same deal that the San Francisco Giants were clueless enough to give him. He received 3 years/$42 million due to his 2023 season, in which he batted .250/.341/.512, with 36 home runs and 75 RBI in 137 games and 504 AB.

That season was a clear outlier and he was still worth just 1.8 WAR. This season Soler has been worth 0.5 WAR so far. The terrible defender is highly injury-prone and inconsistent to the point where it's impossible to tell what version of him will show up on any given season.

Most of his career in fact has been filled with down seasons. From 2014 to 2018, he batted just .249/.326/.424 and only topped 100 games once. He batted just .224/.319/.435 from 2020-2021. He spent time with multiple teams during this time as well, going from the Chicago Cubs to the Kansas City Royals and then to the Atlanta Braves. He was signed by Kim Ng to play for the Miami Marlins prior to the 2022 season.

In that 2022 season, Soler couldn't stay healthy and batted an atrocious .207/.295/.400, with 13 home runs and 34 RBI, in 72 games and 270 AB. This season with San Francisco, he's batting just .226/.315/.393, with 9 home runs and 27 RBI in 65 games and 234 AB. He's not the middle of the order bat that they wanted, but they're the ones stuck with the contract, instead of the Miami Marlins.