Cuban baseball player Jorge Soler hit a $42 million home run, signing this Tuesday with the San Francisco Giants for the next three years. As journalist Francys Romero recalls, he is the “first baseball player born on the Island to wear this uniform since Alex Sánchez (2005).”
Last November, the Havana native gave up a salary of 13 million dollars with the Miami Marlins. With more than six years in the Major Leagues, the option for Soler was free agency. MVP Sports Group, his representative, moved the pieces and there were approaches with the legendary San Francisco team, belonging to the West Division of the National League.
With the Giants, Soler will pocket $14 million per season, which makes him the third highest-paid player in the franchise, only below Americans Robbie Ray ($23 million) and Michael Conforto (18 million).
This gardener left the Island in 2010, at the age of 18. His dream was to play on a Major League team, but his initial destination was Haiti, where he arrived aboard a raft along with his father. In 2012, already in the United States, he got a contract with the Chicago Cubs team, with whom he debuted on August 27, 2014.
This gardener left the Island in 2010, at the age of 18. His dream was to play for a Major League team.
In 2016 he became part of the Kansas City Royals team. However, due to a series of injuries and inconsistencies he was demoted and sent to the Minor Leagues, with the Omaha Storm Chasers. He returned in 2018 to Kansas, where in 61 games, he posted a .265 batting average, in addition to hitting nine home runs. On July 30, 2021, Soler was traded to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Kasey Kalich.
In that same year, Soler was named the Most Valuable Player of the World Series, where the Atlanta Braves were crowned against the Houston Astros.
Jorge Soler has a record in the Major Leagues with a batting average of .243, a total of 736 hitsincluding 170 home runs, and driving 452 runs.
Soler’s agreement equals the one that Lourdes Gurriel Jr. obtained with the Diamondbacks in December of last year. According to the magazine MLBGurriel has the option to renew with the Arizona team for $14 million in 2027, in addition to the possibility for the Cuban outfielder to attend to new offers in 2026 and, if he so chooses, leave the squad.
Jorge Soler and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. thus join the list of the highest-paid Cuban players, headed by José Abreu, who with the Houston Astros receives a salary per season of 19.5 million dollars. Yasmani Grandal earns a salary of 18.2 million with the Chicago White Sox. Yoan Moncada is on the same team, who receives 17.8 million per season. Raisel Iglesias, with the Atlanta Braves, gets 16 million.
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