MLB offseason begins quickly as Braves trade Jorge Soler to Angels for Griffin Canning

Roughly 14 hours after the end of the 2024 MLB season, the hot stove has already kicked into high gear.The Braves traded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Angels for pitcher Griffin Canning Thursday afternoon.Soler, whom the Braves acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline, finished the season with 21 home runs, 64 RBIs, a .241 average and .780 OPS.The 32-year-old was an All-Star in 2023 with the Marlins when he hit 36 homers and 75 RBIs, to go along with a .250 average and .853 OPS.Soler primarily played right field for Atlanta after Ronald Acuna Jr.tore his ACL, but Acuna’s expected return for the start of the 2025 season made Soler expendable.The Braves are also shedding some significant salary as Soler is entering the second season of a three-year, $42 million contract and is owed $26 million.Canning, 28, threw a career-high 171 2/3 innings in 2024 but struggled to the tune of a 5.19 ERA and 1.398 WHIP while allowing 31 home runs.The right-hander is entering his final year of arbitration, and should end up with around $5 million for 2025.The trade kicks off what will be a blockbuster offseason headlined by Juan Soto’s free agency.Soto, the 26-year-old Scott Boras client who was acquired by the Yankees and helped lead them to the World Series, said after the team’s loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night that no team has an advantage as he seeks a monster contract....