In 2011, Soler, at 18, left Cuba on a boat with his father to pursue his baseball dreams, his father said. A year later, he signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs for nine years and $30 million. In 2014, he was called up to the major leagues at 22.
Over the next two seasons, Soler flashed his tantalizing but still raw talent. During the Cubs’ World Series-winning season in 2016, he hit .238 with 12 home runs over 86 games but was largely relegated to coming off the bench during the postseason.
Traded to the Kansas City Royals that winter, Soler battled injuries, demotions and inconsistency. In 2019, his talent re-emerged: He hit an American League-leading 48 home runs, drove in 117 runs and played in all 162 games. But then his performance slipped over the next two seasons.
On July 29 of this season, Soler was hitting .192 with 13 home runs over 94 games with the Royals. Desperate to reinvigorate a team that was floundering and had lost key outfielders such as Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta traded the next day for Soler — one of four outfielders the Braves acquired at the trade deadline.
“It was challenging at first,” Soler said through an interpreter. “I felt a little out of my comfort zone. I didn’t really know people. It was kind of tough to go to a new place and start making those acquaintances and everything. Within a week, I felt right at home.”