The San Francisco Giants on Monday night cut ties with one of their top off-season, free-agent acquisitions, sending veteran designated hitter Jorge Soler, along with veteran right-handed reliever Luke Jackson, to the Atlanta Braves in a trade for injured left-handed pitcher Tyler Matzek and minor-league infielder Sabin Ceballos.
Soler, who signed a three-year, $42 million contract with the Giants in February, had been largely a disappointment in San Francisco. Though he had heated up since the All-Star break, Soler was hitting just .240 with a .330 on-base percentage, a .419 slugging percentage, 12 home runs, and 40 RBIs in 93 games.
The Braves, who reportedly took on all the remaining money in Soler’s deal, are hoping he can regain the form he flashed after they acquired him from the Kansas City Royals prior to the 2021 trade deadline. Soler, 32, was the most valuable player in the 2021 World Series, hitting .300 with three homers and six RBIs in six games as Atlanta defeated the Houston Astros.
An All-Star last season with the Miami Marlins, Soler is a veteran of 11 major-league seasons with Chicago (2014–16), Kansas City (2017–21), Atlanta (2021), Miami (2022–23), and San Francisco. He has career .243/.330/.462 batting line with 182 homers and 492 RBIs in 963 games.
The right-handed Jackson was also a member of the Braves’ title-winning 2021 club. He made three scoreless appearances in the World Series, pitching a total of 3 2/3 innings.
Jackson, 32, struggled this year in his second season with the Giants, going 4–2 with a 5.40 earned-run average in 36 outings. In nine major-league seasons with the Texas Rangers (2015–16), Atlanta (2017–21), and San Francisco (2023–24), he owns a 22–10 record with 19 saves and a 4.23 ERA in 322 games, all in relief.
Matzek, 33, has been on the injured list since early May due to an elbow ailment. He had no decisions and a 9.90 ERA in 11 relief outings for Atlanta this season as he came back after missing all of 2023 due to Tommy John surgery.
In 168 career games, including 24 starts, for the Colorado Rockies (2014–15) and Braves (2020–22, 2024), he has a 16–21 record with one save and a 3.72 ERA.
Ceballos, 21, was batting .259/.353/.354 with three homers and 30 RBIs in 84 games for high Class-A Rome, Ga., this year.
