Angels must find a way to ditch this overpaid player as soon as possible

The Angels have a lot of fat on the roster that they can trim, especially on the pitching side. The bullpen is an ever-changing mess, and Perry Minasian has been constantly shifting aging relievers in and out while also temporarily shoe-horning starting pitching prospects in to provide length. On the hitting side, they recently cut ties with Tim Anderson and are rolling the dice with part-time players like Chris Taylor and Scott Kingery as Luis Rengifo and Kevin Newman continue to struggle (to say the least). However, one every day player has just about worn out his welcome as the team attempts to claw their way back into contention.

Jorge Soler is slashing .218/.292/.386/.678 in his first 55 games as a member of the Los Angeles Angels. This is his 12th year in the big leagues and it's looking more and more likely that Minasian acquired Soler a year too late. His batting average is currently the third lowest mark during any season of his career, while his OBP, SLG and OPS are all respectively the second worst they have ever been.

Soler's K% is in the 10th percentile of batters this season, his Whiff% is in the 19th percentile, xBA in the 9th, xWOBA in the 22nd and worst of all his Hard-Hit% is in the 36th. Keep in mind, that Soler has plenty of lineup protection that comes in the form of Trout, Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel, Taylor Ward, Logan O'Hoppe and Yoán Moncada (until his latest injury). The dude who is supposed to clobber balls is simply not doing so, and he is presenting the team with a serious problem on the defensive side.

Angels must find a way to ditch this overpaid player as soon as possible

Mike Trout is hitting like the vintage version of himself after spending about a month on the injured list. Part of his newfound comfort at the plate is due to DHing every game since his return, allowing him more time to work on his swing and rest his weary legs. However, the Angels were clearly not planning on DHing their Hall of Famer this much given that they went out and traded for Jorge Soler back in October, 2024 in exchange for Griffin Canning. Trout was supposed to DH occasionally, and Soler was supposed to spell him in the outfield every now and again. Well, "the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

Soler has been written in as the team's right fielder in five of the last six games to keep his theoretically great bat in the lineup. To nobody's surprise, Soler has the worst defensive fWAR on the team this season and to say he's a defensive liability is an insult to defensive liabilities. He makes Jo Adell look like Roberto Clemente in right. Angels pitchers and fans wait with bated breath whenever a ball is hit into Soler's vicinity.

Soler is making $13 million in 2025 and '26. At the end of the day, it might behoove the Angels to simply try and dump his contract solely to open up the DH spot full-time for Trout. Soler's been a streaky hitter his whole career, so the hope is maybe his bat gets hot in the near-future and Minasian can convince a team that needs some SLG and playoff experience to take on most of his salary. The Giants and Braves both found themselves in a similar spot and were able to dump his contract, why not us?

Yes, Anthony Rendon is also a vastly overpaid player the Angels need to get rid of as well. However, he is stuck on the Angels like a bad tattoo. Robert Stephenson unfortunately might be in this camp too.

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