The early reviews of the Angels' staggering trade for Jorge Soler are perplexing

Trade grades are standard practice amongst MLB writers and insiders. Who won the trade? Who traded too much? Will this trade win or lose games for the two teams involved?

The skeptics' opinions make up the bulk of the discourse. FanSided's Robert Murray and The Athletic's Sam Blum have both noted that this move feels either like a win for the Braves and/or a no-win scenario for the Angels. Murray commented on the Braves' ability to enhance pitchers from other systems thus potentially optimizing Canning's arsenal and biomechanics, and Blum wrote that the trade felt like the Angels' biggest splash yet incomplete due to the financial constraints imposed by Arte Moreno. ESPN's Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield gave the Braves a C grade and the Angels a D, citing Canning's departure diminishing the Angels' already thin pitching staff and Soler's defensive woes.

Will the Soler move alone put the Angels over the top? No. Will any move this offseason? Unlikely. Obviously, you cannot look at this trade in a vacuum, as Perry Minasian will make a litany of trades over the course of the offseason to try and formulate a competitive roster. Pundits' dubiousness of Minasian's ability to do so are not unfounded, but how can you not appreciate the effort here?

Jorge Soler is a better player than Griffin Canning, but MLB minds did not like the trade for LAA

Canning was a DFA candidate and just allowed the most earned runs in the American League. Soler, if nothing else, is a hitter who pitchers need to reckon with. Soler is not an afterthought when pitchers game-plan against the slugger's team, he is a formidable presence at the plate and they need to proceed cautiously when he steps into the batter's box.

The Angels are looking to increase payroll and are not a free agency destination, so a trade like this was needed in order to field a competitive roster. Yes, the Angels assumed money in the trade and thus the valuation models reject the notion that the Angels won the trade. However, executives simply could not do better than this in a one-for-one trade. Soler vs. Canning's 2024 bWAR? 1.1 to 0.3. Soler vs. Canning's career bWAR? 7.0 to 4.7... and the Angels lost this trade?

The Angels need to fill out their rotation due to Canning's departure, which was an area of need even with him still on the team. The increasingly active Minasian will assuredly address that sooner rather than later, and bolster a rotation that is tentatively penciling José Soriano, Tyler Anderson, Jack Kochanowicz, and Reid Detmers in. Sure, they can stay in-house and throw in José Suarez, Chase Silseth, Davis Daniel, Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, Sam Bachman, or a non 40-man prospect in there. However, do not be surprised if Minasian takes one, or several, of those pitchers (or an intriguing position player or two) and trades for a bona fide, veteran starter. The Angels could be linked to a free agent pitcher like Blake Snell (who had previous interest in signing with the Angels), but the sure-fire way of supporting their run prevention group is to continue the trade frenzy.

Stay tuned.