Chicago Cubs: Jorge Soler is the first core player with two rings

If you had Jorge Soler as the first member of the 2016 Chicago Cubs core to get a second World Series ring, congratulations – you win. Soler helped the Atlanta Braves finish off the Houston Astros in six games earlier this week in the Fall Classic.

He was instrumental in the series win, mashing three home runs including a mammoth shot – which I’m not sure if it’s landed yet – to open the scoring in Game 6. His performance only landed him World Series MVP, no big deal. His slash line for the World Series was .300/.391/.800 for an OPS of 1.191.

Strong postseason performances aren’t new for Soler, as his career playoff slash is .292/.418/.692, an OPS over 1.000. Soler Power gets turned on in the postseason – the Cuban-born slugger has six home runs in three trips to the postseason.

Soler is sort of the forgotten member of the Cubs’ core, since he was traded early on for Wade Davis. He was definitely supposed to be a long-term piece but with the emergence of Kyle Schwarber his playing time dwindled in 2016, making him expendable.

This is not to say other core members have not had opportunities. Anthony Rizzo made the postseason with the Yankees, Kris Bryant appeared with the Giants, Schwarber made the ALCS with the Red Sox, etc. Their teams all came up short.

Soler is now a free agent after that long deal he originally signed with the Cubs out of Cuba finally expired. He will be a free agent this winter, and given that performance in the Fall Classic, it’s safe to say he’ll have his fair share of suitors.

Chicago Cubs fans have to be happy for Jorge Soler after this season

Soler was beloved by the Cubs fans because of his home run prowess and his contract signaled a shift in organizational philosophy, where they were serious about wanting to win. He signed a nine-year deal in hopes of becoming a future core piece. He came up through the minors with Baez, Bryant, Schwarber, etc. and is just as much a member of the core as those guys.

Seeing him win a second ring was good for him and hopefully Cub fans can see other members of the core win another ring somewhere….team permitting. And of course, Cubs fans would love to see the North Siders win a ring again before anything else.

It’s especially sweet for Soler because his career has been hurt by injuries and inconsistency. He couldn’t stay healthy for awhile and finally broke out in 2019 with 48 home runs, setting the Royals single-season record, which has since been tied by Salvador Perez this year.