The Los Angeles Angels are running out of time to decide what to do with Jorge Soler before the August 3 MLB trade deadline. The club would like to deal him, but it is not clear whether another team will take him.
That uncertainty is driving the attention now because Soler, 34, has spent two seasons with the Angels and is limited to designated hitter duties at this point in his career. Teams searching for a right-handed bat can look elsewhere first, especially after Soler’s 2026 line of.202/.288/.374 with 12 home runs and 47 runs batted in.
Soler’s name still carries some weight because he was once one of the game’s more dangerous power hitters, and his 48 home runs with the Kansas City Royals in 2019 remain the kind of season that keeps him on radar boards. He can play left field or right field if absolutely necessary, but the defensive value is thin enough that any club considering him is really evaluating the bat alone.
That is where the market gets narrow. A team would probably trade for Soler only if it had an injury to its designated hitter or a corner outfielder, which is why the Angels are not working from a position of strength. The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies would likely look for better options than Soler, while the Atlanta Braves might only come in if a last-minute injury changes the picture.
The Angels may try to shop Soler in the next week, and they might also be willing to pay down part of his salary if that is what it takes to get a decent prospect back. That is the real decision in front of them now: whether to move a veteran bat with a fading fit, or hold him and risk getting nothing useful in return.
