Jorge Soler is off to the Miami Marlins, joining the team on a three-year, $36 million deal.
Soler is coming off a spectacular postseason in which he was crowned the World Series MVP for the Atlanta Braves.
But with his move to the Marlins, Soler is making a bit of rare MLB history.
As Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes on Twitter, he is the first reigning World Series MVP to join a new team the following season in some time.
The most recent example was Edgar Renteria, who was crowned MVP of the 2010 World Series with the San Francisco Giants and departed for the Cincinnati Reds over the offseason.
The #Marlins officially announce OF Jorge Soler's 3-year, $36 million deal, noting that he is the first reigning World Series MVP to change teams in the offseason since Edgar Renteria left the 2010 #SFGiants to join the Cincinnati #Reds for the 2011 season.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 22, 2022
Soler In Rare Company
This is rare to see.
More often than not, teams will retain their World Series MVP from the previous year.
Players such as David Ortiz and David Freese didn’t go anywhere following their performances that earned them World Series MVP honors, so it’s not something you see every day.
It’s also a bit of a surprise to see Soler join the Marlins, a team that does not appear to be in a position to win in 2022.
With the universal DH being added in the new CBA, Soler could have easily re-signed with the Braves and stayed with a winning organization.
But it’s always weird when the MVP of a postseason series, specifically the World Series, chooses to go to a new team after they are crowned MVP of that particular series.
And it’s probably something that won’t happen again for some time.
Renteria’s departure from the Giants took place all the way back in 2011.
It’ll probably be some time before we see this happen again with a reigning World Series MVP.
NEXT: Marlins Reporter Wants Fans To Relax Over Recent Trades