Former Chicago Cubs World Series Champion Gets Traded in Early Offseason Deal

One of the past Chicago Cubs World Series champions has been traded in an early offseason deal.

Aug 29, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs left fielder Jorge Soler (68) celebrates after hitting a solo homer run during the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field / Caylor Arnold-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are trying to figure out how they can get back into World Series contention.

Last winter, they made a massive move by firing manager David Ross and bringing in Craig Counsell, something that was done to get the most out of a roster that has underachieved the last few years.

Hiring Counsell is a good long-term play, but unless the front office gets the right players in place, then the Cubs will continue to fight an uphill battle in the loaded National League.

While Chicago is searching for ways to upgrade this group, one of their past World Series champions was dealt in an early offseason deal.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Atlanta Braves sent Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for pitching Griffin Canning.

The slugger was signed as an international free agent by the Cubs back in 2012, inking a monstrous nine-year $30 million deal. He rapidly climbed up their pipeline until he made his Major League debut in 2014, appearing in 24 games where he hit five homers and had 20 RBI.

But by the time Chicago won the World Series in 2016, his number of games had been limited.

He only played in 86 contests during that regular season, slashing .238/.333/.436 with 12 homers and 31 RBI. His lone two hits in the playoffs came during the Fall Classic, including a triple in Game 3.

After the year, the Cubs traded him to the Kansas City Royals, a place he was in for the next four-and-a-half seasons before they shipped him to the Braves where he helped them win their franchise's first World Series after winning the MVP Award in the Fall Classic.

Soler signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the San Francisco Giants this past offseason after a stint with the Miami Marlins, but after an underperforming first half of the year, they traded him to Atlanta.

Now, the slugger will be on his sixth team of his career, this time hoping he can become a featured part of the Angels' lineup in 2025 and beyond.