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Impactful Jorge Soler Makes San Francisco Giants More Dangerous

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Impactful Jorge Soler Makes San Francisco Giants More Dangerous


The addition of Jorge Soler has added a legitimate power source to the San Francisco Giants lineup.

The right-handed hitting Soler, who turns 32 February 25, gives the Giants a power source in the middle of a lineup that is in need of greater run production.

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After spending the past two seasons with the Miami Marlins, Soler signed a three-year deal. He will get a $9 million signing bonus, and a $7 million salary for 2024. He will then receive $13 million in each of the 2025, and 2026 seasons.

According to Fangraphs, the addition of Soler brings the Giants estimated 2024 player payroll to $164 million, a decrease of $32 million from last season.

It would seem the Giants still have plenty of salary room to add even more power or offensive improvement to their batting order.

As of this writing, players like Cody Bellinger, Adam Duvall, and J.D. Martinez remain on the free agent market.

About Jorge Soler:

In 2010 and 2011, Jorge Soler played for La Habana in the Cuban National Series, when he was just 17, and 18-years old.

Soler was viewed as the best overall player on the Cuban Bronze Medal Team in the 2010 World Junior Championships.

Soler was unsuccessful in his first attempt to defect from Cuba, but he did succeed in 2011.

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Soler signed with the Chicago Cubs as an international free agent in 2012.

Soler was so highly regarded, the Cubs signed him to a nine-year, $30 million contract. His contract included a $6 million bonus.

Soler made his big league debut with the Cubs in August 2014, when he was just 22-years-old.

Even with his outstanding power potential, Soler played only parts of three seasons with the Cubs.

The Cubs traded Soler to the Kansas City Royals on December 7, 2016, getting pitcher Wade Davis in return from the Royals.

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On July 30, 2021, the Royals traded Soler to the Atlanta Braves for relief pitcher Kasey Kalich.

Entering free agency at the conclusion of the 2021 season, Soler signed with the Miami Marlins, where he played until he once again reached free agency at the end of this past season.

In parts of 10 big league seasons, Soler has compiled an offensive stat line of .243/.330/.467/.797, with 163 doubles, three triples, 170 home runs, and 452 RBIs in 3,473 plate appearances.

Slow afoot, Soler has stolen only 11 bases in his meager 16 stolen base attempts.

At 6-4, 235 pounds, like many power hitters, strikeouts remain an issue for Soler.

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Soler’s Power:

Jorge Soler will be coming off his final year in Miami, when he hit 36 home runs, and drove in 75 runs in 580 plate appearances.

Last year was his only All Star season.

In his best power season, Soler hit 48 home runs, and drove in 117 runs for the 2019 Kansas City Royals.

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Soler was named the 2021 World Series Most Valuable Player, as his Braves defeated the Houston Astros in six games.

In that World Series, Soler hit .300, with three homers, and six RBIs. He was a unanimous choice for MVP.

His postseason success for the Braves, coupled with his outstanding 2023 season with the Marlins, highlight Soler as a true power threat, capable of changing a game with one swing of his bat.

Some analysts believed Soler would earn more than $14 million annually for three years as a free agent. So, some may view the Giants acquisition of Soler as a bargain.

Projected San Francisco Giants Lineup:

With the Giants, Fangraphs projects Soler to hit in the cleanup spot, and serve as the team’s designated hitter.

Short of an additional offensive player addition, here is the opening day lineup Fangraphs projects for manager Bob Melvin’s Giants:

Jung Hoo Lee-CF

Thairo Estrada-2B

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LaMonte Wade Jr.-1B

Jorge Soler-DH

Michael Conforto-LF

Wilmer Flores-3B

Mike Yastrzemski-RF

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Patrick Bailey-C

Marco Luciano-SS

What Soler Can Mean To The Giants:

When he was signed by the Cubs out of Cuba, at full player skill maturation, Soler was projected to be a Grade 65 player.

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A Grade 65 player is a consistent All Star.

A Grade 65 player is among the best in the game in any given year.

Soler has fallen short of that lofty projection.

However, he remains dangerous, as he demonstrated last year with the Miami Marlins.

Soler has the potential to make every hitter in the Giants lineup more impactful.

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Soler has the potential to eclipse the 23 homers hit last year by Wilmer Flores, the most on the Giants roster.

Pitchers must now cope with the fact that Soler lurks in the middle of the batting order. His presence may mean hitters like Wade Jr., Conforto, and Flores may see better pitches to hit.

Opposing managers are fond of saying, “Don’t let this guy beat us.” That guy will be Jorge Soler.

To this old scout, because they have added Jung Hoo Lee, and Jorge Soler, the San Francisco Giants are a much more formidable offensive team today than they were when the 2023 season ended.



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San Francisco, CA

Maria Isabel Is a Masterclass in Mariscos and Moles

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Maria Isabel Is a Masterclass in Mariscos and Moles


San Francisco first came to know chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz through their pop-up Istanbul Modern, and later through their breakthrough Presidio restaurant Dalida. The duo’s success is grounded in their take on Eastern Mediterranean food, which they made a conscious decision to champion 10 years ago.

Fast-forward to 2026, and now Laura is taking on a personal project of her own, with Sayat by her side, placing foods from Mexico’s Guerrero and Sinaloa center stage at Maria Isabel. It’s a refreshing menu that combines both Mexican and local ingredients, through the lens of the Ozyilmazes cooking backgrounds.

Reservations are released on OpenTable 30 days in advance, but Laura confirmed that they do take walk-ins depending on space. Smaller parties or solo diners might have better luck sliding in, thanks to the counter in the brighter, “Maria” portion of the restaurant.

The cocktails from consulting bar director Evan Williams are always worth a glimpse, whether at Dalida or at Maria Isabel. They’re well-balanced and have incredible depth and technique behind them. That being said, the team sourced wines from woman-led wine brands such as LOTIS Wines and Amevive Wine, if you’re looking to explore past the usual selections you’ll see elsewhere.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing

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San Francisco considers closing some permanent supportive housing


In San Francisco, homeless advocates are expressing concern as the city considers potentially closing some of its permanent supportive housing sites. As the San Francisco Chronicle reported, homeless service providers reported that the mayor’s chief of health and human services met with housing providers last month that the city was working on a list of potential buildings to be closed.

Multiple homeless advocates told NBC Bay Area they had heard about this proposal and the general approach by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office to reexamine how the city uses permanent supportive housing.

“This is something that’s been discussed for a few months at this point,” said Christin Evans, a former San Francisco Homeless Oversight Commissioner and current small business owner in the city.

Advocates describe permanent supportive housing (PSH) as a more stable and long term option for people experiencing homelessness, providing a place to live that is directly connected to the health and social services a person needs when transitioning out of homelessness. San Francisco currently has more than 9,000 site-based permanent supportive housing units.

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Mayor Daniel Lurie’s press secretary, Charles Lutvak, shared a statement on Thursday, noting, “… our administration is prioritizing tools to get people struggling with addiction into treatment and the path to stability.”

“Permanent supportive housing is a critical one, but we need to make it work better,” Lutvak continued, noting the city is spending $300 million a year while also facing hundreds of millions of dollars in federal cuts.

Lutvak also said it is not determined yet whether the city will be closing permanent supportive housing beds in the coming months.

Still, the conversations so far are enough to have advocates worried.

“Every housing unit you get rid of, you’ve got additional homeless people on the streets,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director with the Coalition on Homelessness.

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Friedenbach said there are currently thousands of people on the city’s waitlist to get into permanent supportive housing.

“Permanent supportive housing does work. It has been studied to death, and it is the primary resolution of homelessness that has the highest level of success,” she added.

This conversation about permanent supportive housing units is unfolding as the city already faces a 643 million dollar budget gap. But advocates argue, while housing is expensive, it will cost the city even more to have unhoused people in the city who are disconnected from a place to live or support services.

“We’re cutting really essential services for our most vulnerable san Franciscans, and its actually going to harm our recovery as a city,” Evans said.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says

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San Francisco tops US housing market as homes sell far over asking, report says


The average San Francisco home sold for nearly 90% over the asking price in March, according to Redfin.

The city is now the most expensive metro area in the country.

Artificial intelligence is driving much of those costs, as companies grow and hire, with many requiring staff to work in person.

Housing inventory, on the other hand, isn’t keeping up.

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NBC Bay Area spoke with Arrian Binning, an agent with the Binnings Team at Christie’s San Francisco, who said the city is expensive but worth the investment.

“San Francisco is one of the best markets in the world,” Binning said. “I’ve seen supply constriction benefit property owners, so when you’re a property owner in a market that has scarce inventory but also is an engine of growth, that’s kind of the trifecta in terms of investing your hard-earned dollars into a new home.”

San Francisco bumped San Jose out of the top spot.

In San Jose, the median home price in March was more than $1.46 million, about what it was a year ago.

NBC Bay Area’s Kris Sanchez has the full report in the video above.

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