The Minnesota Twins need a first baseman and hopes of a potential reunion with a former infielder to fill that void came to an end on Monday when Donovan Solano agreed to a one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Solano was one of the Twins' options at first base in 2023, hitting .282/.369/.391 with five home runs and 38 RBI. While Solano moved around the infield, he played 82 of his 134 games at first base albeit with a minus-2 in the defensive runs saved metric.
Solano remained on the market late into the 2024 offseason but eventually signed with the San Diego Padres on a one-year deal. After hitting .286/.343/.417 with eight homers and 35 RBI, Solano hit the market again and this will look to fill the void for a Mariners team that saw its first basemen rank 16th with a .727 OPS last season.
Twins first base options dwindle after Donovan Solano signs with Mariners
A reunion between the Twins and Solano wasn’t likely for the same reason they pivoted to Carlos Santana last winter. Solano’s contact skills remain some of the best in baseball with a 43.1 percent sweet spot rate in 2023 and a 37 percent rate in 2024 according to Baseball Savant but his lack of power and mediocre defense made Santana an upgrade.
The bet paid off as Santana hit 23 homers and won his first career Gold Glove Award last season. But his departure for a one-year, $12 million contract with the Cleveland Guardians has left a major void for the Twins next season.
Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien are the current frontrunners to man first on Opening Day but the team would like to find an upgrade considering Julien’s down season in 2024 and Miranda logging a minus-6 DRS in 77 games at first base during his rookie season in 2022.
Payroll restraints have also cost the Twins a chance to get in on the free agent market and it may lead to a trade in the coming weeks to find a suitable solution before Opening Day.