2 SF Giants veterans swayed Jorge Soler to join San Francisco

It is no secret that the SF Giants have had a rough time landing free agents in recent years. This is especially true with power hitters who may fear Oracle Park's pitcher-friendly dimensions. The Giants were able to sign the right-handed slugger Jorge Soler despite that reputation, and they did it with the help of two veterans on the team in Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada.

2 SF Giants veterans swayed Jorge Soler to join San Francisco

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Giants figured they did not have a great shot at signing Soler because his preference was to play on the East Coast. Despite that, as conversations between the Giants and Soler intensified, they called upon Flores and Estrada to help in their pitch to Soler.

Both Estrada and Flores joined the final pitch meeting to lure Soler. The veteran infielders are acquaintances with Soler, so there was a pre-existing relationship that often helps in recruiting free agents.

This also speaks to the increased leadership role that Estrada and Flores play on the Giants. In the past few years as Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford have either retired or moved on to other teams. A new group of leaders has emerged on the Giants. Flores, Estrada, Mike Yastrzemski, Logan Webb, and Austin Slater now appear to be the leaders on the team.

One thing that stands out with Flores is that he will likely lose the most at-bats due to the Soler signing. Flores was penciled in as the primary DH prior to the Soler signing, but now Soler seems like he will be the everyday DH batting cleanup. There will still be some at-bats at DH as Soler is it is unlikely that Soler plays all 162 games.

That just speaks to the selflessness of a player like Flores who is willing to sacrifice some of his own playing time because it means that the team will get a good player who can help them win games down the road.

Flores will still get at-bats in some form or another. Last season as the Giants broke camp, there were similar questions about how much playing time Flores was going to get. By the end of the season, Flores was the team's best hitter and was in the lineup just about every day.

Injuries and poor performance are part of the game, so it would not be surprising at all to see Flores be a big part of the lineup again at some point this season. No matter what, both he and Estrada reaffirmed the fact that they are leaders on the Giants and helped the team land an exciting power hitter who will help solidify the middle of their order.

On a different note, it is encouraging to see both Estrada and Flores help recruit Soler to San Francisco. There has been a lot mentioned about how certain free agents avoid the San Francisco for one reason or another. Much of that criticism is unfair, but for now, the Giants were able to sway Soler, who had a preference to remain on the East Coast, to the Bay Area. They hope that this will help strengthen their efforts in the future.