Jorge Soler Trade Indicates One Great Thing for Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves traded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels for a relief pitcher on October 31.

Atlanta Braves right fielder Jorge Soler / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There are a lot of different conclusions one can draw from the Atlanta Braves moving on from outfielder Jorge Soler. The Braves dealt the 32-year-old to the Los Angeles Angels for right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning.

Atlanta sent Soler to the Angels roughly three months after they acquired him a second time at the MLB trade deadline.

In 49 games, Soler slashed .243/.356/.493. He provided power to a lineup desperately missing it from all the injuries the Braves suffered this year.

But for 2025, Soler was going to cost $16 million. With Atlanta's power expected to return to the lineup next season, that money could be better spent on the starting rotation. Trading Soler will allow that to happen.

A lot was also made of Soler's defense. He was a liability in the outfield late in the 2024 season, and the Braves are expected to pick up designated hitter Marcell Ozuna's 2025 option. That left Soler without a solid role in Atlanta for the 2025 campaign.

But while those were likely factors in the Soler trade, the Braves departing with him is really about one thing -- Ronald Acuña Jr.'s health.

Both times the Braves acquired Soler at the MLB trade deadline, the club lost Acuña to a season-ending injury. In 2021, Soler helped propel the Braves to a championship, winning World Series MVP. Even after that effort, he wasn't needed when Acuña returned in 2022.

MLB.com's Mark Bowman argued on October 24 that "it wouldn't surprise" him if Acuña wasn't ready to play much in April 2025. During April 2022, following his first ACL injury, Acuña played just two games.

If the Braves believed their MVP right fielder was set to miss a similar amount of games next April as he did in 2022, keeping Soler would make a lot of sense. That would help ensure the team's offense can hit the ground running next season.

Yes, moving on from Soler will help the team spend money elsewhere. But most importantly, it's a bode of confidence in Acuña's recovery timeline. It's a strong indication that the Braves don't anticipate Acuña needing all of April to continue healing.

Now, it's still doubtful Acuña will ever steal 70 bases again. He has two surgically-repaired knees.

But it's even more doubtful the Braves would feel comfortable departing with outfield depth if they weren't feeling good, or even great, about Acuña's chances to play early in 2025.