Jorge Soler Is Available, But Championship Reunions Don't Always Make Sense

Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Cubs Video

As the trade deadline approaches, there isn't any doubt that pitching remains at the forefront of the Chicago Cubs' needs. A staff decimated by various injuries will likely need multiple additions if they're to reach October at all, let alone hang with their fellow National League contenders. That doesn't mean it will be a pitching exclusive deadline for the Cubs, though, as some supplementary offense couldn't hurt. Should that be the case, an old friend could wind up being a target in the form of Jorge Soler.

It's been a decade since we saw Soler in Chicago. He's been on a journey since, with turns in Kansas City, Atlanta (twice), Miami, San Francisco, and Anaheim. Currently logging plate appearances for a listless Angels squad, he stands to be one of a number of veterans finding their way to new teams before Aug. 3. Whether or not the Cubs should be that new team for Soler, however, is another matter entirely.

On paper, a pursuit of Soler would be a sensible fit. There are some financial ramifications on an AAV of roughly $12 million, but a right-handed bench bat capable of supplying power is something the Cubs could use. Their current group of starting righties — Seiya Suzuki, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Carson Kelly, and Alex Bregman — provides only modest collective power, save Suzuki and the occasional stretch of torrid play from Swanson. None of the present right-handed (or righty-capable) bench consisting of Miguel Amaya, James Triantos, or Pedro Ramírez offers much on the power side, either. Soler, in theory, could help that dynamic.

The "theory" portion, however, is where we begin to run into some issues.

Soler's performance each of the last two years is that of a below-average hitter. He went for a wRC+ of 88 in 2025 and is at 85 thus far in 2026. Worse yet, the power hasn't manifested within his high-strikeout tendencies. He posted a .172 ISO last season before managing just .167 this year. In reality, we haven't seen Soler at the peak of his power potential since 2023, with 2024 providing our last glimpse into a hitter capable of exceeding a .200 ISO.

Also working against him is the fact that he hasn't been particularly good this year against left-handed pitching. His wRC+ against pitchers of the opposite handedness in 2026 is just 67, against a 91 mark against righties. Only one of his 11 home runs this season has come against a left-handed pitcher. He was a bit more balanced in 2025, but not in a way that indicated him to be any sort of lefty masher. The last time we saw that kind of skill set was 2024.

Statistically, it's a difficult move to justify. There's likely something of an argument to be made for organizational context, wherein the player is simply not performing because he's part of a woeful organization. However, the profile itself simply does not fit:

Soler's percentile distribution indicates that this is a player who swings a lot, swings hard, and features minimal contact. The Cubs are, somewhat famously, an organization that trades bat speed for efficiency within their contact. Soler would actively work against that preferred profile. To say nothing of a near-inability to play the field, limiting the flexibility with which Craig Counsell would have to maneuver his roster in rotating through the designated hitter slot.

Reunions can be a fun concept in the abstract. And when you talk about a team like the 2016 Cubs, those opportunities for bringing back an active player are waning to the point of almost being impossible. However, we haven't seen Soler at his best for a few years at this point. It's difficult to see the Cubs being so interested in pursuit of a reunion in their own right. It's simply too difficult a move to justify. Soler actively works outside of the profile the Cubs prefer from their hitters, without the power we're accustomed to seeing from him to compensate his current state.