3 SF Giants players who could lose their roster spot after Jorge Soler signing

The San Francisco Giants finally added a power bat this offseason late on Monday evening. While it wasn't the huge splash in free agency that Giants fans were hoping for, San Francisco did agree to terms with Jorge Soler on a three-year, $42 million deal.

For the Giants, the decision was a simple one. Adding Jorge Soler makes their lineup more dynamic and finally gives them the consistent power threat that the team has been lacking for the better part of two decades. As Bob Nightengale noted on social media, the last Giants hitter to smash 30 or more home runs in a season was Barry Bonds back in 2004 (although Brandon Belt did get close in 2021 with 29). Soler isn't a sure thing to eclipse 30 homers, but he has done it in the past and he certainly still has the pop in his bat to pull it off.

Unfortunately, adding Soler is going to come at the cost of a spot on a San Francisco roster that is currently full at the moment. By far the most likely scenario to make room on the 40-man is for the Giants to add players to the injured list starting Wednesday before making the deal official, with both Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray being prime candidates.

However, that does not mean that the Giants won't need the room on their roster especially if more moves are coming. With cash burning a hole in their pocket, some big names still left on the market, and a roster still in need of upgrading, the move for Soler could only be the beginning and might start off a chain reaction of overhauling who the Giants will carry going into 2024. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the players who might end up heading out of town after the Jorge Soler signing.

3 SF Giants Players Who Could Exit San Francisco After Jorge Soler Signing

Joey Bart

It feels like Joey Bart's departure from the Giants has been a long time coming. Bart has struggled mightily in the big leagues with a paltry 78 wRC+ across over 500 plate appearances with the Giants. The second overall pick in the 2018 draft has continued to hit reasonably well in the minor leagues and is a quality defender, but he never developed the power that most expected him to and his struggles to hit at all in the big leagues are well-documented.

Complicating matters, the Giants signed veteran backup catcher Tom Murphy to a two-year deal back in December in a move that was widely considered to be the death knell for Bart's time with San Francisco. Between Murphy, primary catcher Patrick Bailey, and Blake Sabol, there is virtually no path to playing time for Bart going forward behind the plate, and he definitely hasn't hit enough to justify trying him elsewhere.

Given that Bart does not have any minor-league options remaining, he quite simply has to be moved soon before the final decisions on the big-league roster have to be locked in. Signing Soler could be the impetus for such a move. Despite Bart's struggles, he should garner plenty of interest, although the Giants' leverage in any trade talks is certainly lessened since everyone in the league knows that they basically can't keep him much longer.

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Sean Hjelle

Finally, we come to the portion where we have to just decide who the most expendable player on the Giants' 40-man roster is. There are some strong candidates with Bart, David Villar, Brett Wisely, and TJ Hopkins all having arguments for the honor. However, Sean Hjelle is a name that sticks out as a guy that was going to have to really battle to even get on the big-league radar in 2024, even without the need to make roster room.

The 6'11" righty came with a lot of promise when he was selected at the top of the second round of the 2018 draft. However, after dominating the lower levels of the minor leagues, Hjelle struggled to miss bats in Triple-A. Those struggles were simply amplified when he made it to the big leagues, as he has posted a 6.17 ERA in 23 appearances (all out of the bullpen) with the Giants.

Perhaps Hjelle simply needs to stick in the rotation and take advantage of a change of scenery. He is certainly very talented and has a frame that teams can dream on. The issue is that the Giants haven't been able to unlock that potential in him, and no one realistically expects him to be a part of San Francisco's rotation long-term.

It is still far more likely that the Giants will simply add some guys to the injured list once that option is available to them and then slot Soler in for now. However, as the spring goes on and the Giants have to make more and more decisions regarding who to keep and who to let go, they may just decide to cut the last guy on the 40-man instead of overthinking it. Unfortunately, Hjelle is on the shortlist for that distinction.

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