The Reds have traded corner outfielder/second baseman Nick Solak to the Mariners for cash, both teams announced. Seattle had an opening on the 40-man roster and immediately optioned Solak to Triple-A Tacoma. No additional move was necessary.
Solak never played a regular season game as a Red. Cincinnati acquired the right-handed hitter from the Rangers at the beginning of the offseason. It was a cash transaction that saw the Reds add a player who was a few years removed from being a well-regarded prospect. Cincinnati gave Solak a look as part of a wide-open outfield mix in Spring Training, but he collected just two hits in 20 at-bats.
That lackluster exhibition showing pushed Solak down the outfield depth chart. Cincinnati designated him for assignment yesterday as they set their Opening Day roster, clearing a 40-man spot to add a pair of relievers and infielder Jason Vosler to the big league group. Solak’s stay in DFA limbo lasted only a little more than 24 hours, as Seattle stepped in to jump the waiver order.
A second-round pick of the Yankees in 2016, Solak has now been a part of five different organizations as a professional. He’s only ever played in an MLB game with Texas, tallying 974 plate appearances as a Ranger between 2019-22. Solak broke into the majors with an impressive .293/.393/.491 showing over 33 contests as a rookie, showing the offensive promise which prospect evaluators had long noted.
The Louisville product hasn’t managed to build off that strong debut. He’s been a below-average hitter in each of the three seasons since then, combining for a .246/.317/.354 line in 839 plate appearances dating back to 2020. He’s shown decent contact skills but not drawn many walks or hit for a significant amount of power.
That tepid offense has come as Solak has increasingly moved down the defensive spectrum. Drafted as a second baseman, he’s long been regarded by scouts as a below-average defender there. Defensive Runs Saved graded him six runs worse than par in a little more than 1000 innings in 2021. Texas pushed him to left field with the Marcus Semien signing in 2022.
In spite of his lackluster big league showings of late, the 28-year-0ld has continued to perform well in the minors. He spent most of last season with the Rangers’ top affiliate in Round Rock, where he hit .278/.371/.489 with 10 longballs, a strong 11.6% walk rate and a 19.7% strikeout percentage over 57 games. He’s now a .293/.370/.510 hitter over parts of three Triple-A campaigns.
Solak has one minor league option year remaining. The M’s can keep him in Tacoma as needed for the rest of this season if he holds a spot on the 40-man roster. He adds a right-handed bat who could potentially join Sam Haggerty and, when healthy, Dylan Moore as complements to Kolten Wong at second base. Seattle also has a left field platoon of Jarred Kelenic and AJ Pollock, with Solak stepping in behind them and Cooper Hummel in that regard.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
A nice little pick up for the M’s. One thing this guy can definitely do is hit.
He can hit but he’s Solaking in all other aspects of the game.
I wouldn’t praise a career .252 average as hitting consistently.
That’s a hit per game on average so I’ll take it for basically a free player.
Fair enough, just was pointing our he wasn’t as offense as he mentioned.
I’m a Detroit Tigers fan, so, yes you can.
Not really, Hit .100 in pre-season. that is why he is available.
If the M’s can turn him around, it is great. If not, they probably paid $1 for him.
No real risk.
Point is OP said he could “definitely hit.” That was what I was referring to.
This is more interesting that the recent signing of Cezar Hernandez.
He’s fairly young (Our revered Edgar himself was 27 when he broke through the barrier into MLB).
Typo. I meant than the recent signing . . ., not “that”.
Jerry just picking the bones of the Reds clean
As a Reds fan, your mistakenly minimizing what Seattle gave up to get Suarez and Castillo. Winker was a bust by the way. Not the fleecing you’re boasting of.
…and how is Justin Dunn working out for you?
He was a throw in. The prospects are the key.
I was never a fan of throwing Jake Fraley into one of these deals. Trading him away was a mistake.
Meh, he was AAA depth for a 90+ loss team.
you can say that now, true….but reds raided your pantry. good things ahead. honestly…Ms are win now….Reds…maybe 2024
How many players have been sold (er, traded for cash) twice in six months?
17?
Not sure? But most of them have been sold and traded to the Yankees.
An interesting question, Moonlight Graham.
Probably tons of them over the years.
There are a lot of factors involved. For example, Solak can hit far better than the 2 for 20 mentioned in the article.
Go the distance.
Brian Cashman choose Solack instead of Burnes, Beiber, Alonso, or Bichette.
Cashman is a bum
Everyone who can see the future knows Cashman is a bum. Right?
Cashman is the most overpaid and overated executive in American history. He constantly has enormous payrolls and does nothing. He won once in 2009 and the championship teams from the late 90s rosters while he was the GM were built by previous GMs. He is the luckiest person because his “success” was handed off to him and he’s been one of the lousiest do nothing with more than everyone else for twenty seasons. He has hit one lucky homerun in the draft when a bunch of teams inexplicably passed on Aaron Judge. I mean why the other blind dummies could not see an athlete smart Stanford 6 ft 7 beast was going to be really good is really something else. Other than that he just outpays other teams in free agency with little to show for it.
I totally agree with you. I didn’t even know Yankees chose Solack. I see picking young talent as a gamble no matter which way you go. Cashman landed big free agents by throwing money at them. Anyone can do what he does if they can spend like that. That guy is unbelievably overrated.
What is with this blind Cashman hate? Cashman also picked Volpe you dummy!
They’re that scared of Hunter Gaddis?
I’m afraid you all are overexaggerating Solak’s abilities. He’s nothing more than a passable bench outfielder, and in all likelihood will be outrighted off the Mariners 40 man roster by season’s end.
Maybe a better option over La Stella?
Maybe, yeah, but they’re both barely replacement players.
Solar still has a little bit of upside as a younger player. La Stella is pretty much toast.
when i read the name solak in my head i hear gilbert gottfried
Loved Solak because the Rangers FINALLY cut ties with Odor to open up second base for Nick. Although he had a golden opportunity, he just couldn’t seize the job long-term. Wish him the best in the Seattle organization.
This is a solid depth pickup for Seattle. Controlled the zone well in AAA and should get some solid mentoring to help with the defense. This was the infield-depth move I had been waiting for.
That said, hopefully he won’t be needed.
Reds need to cut ties with bell no ideal how to manage pitching staff
I remember him back in Texas, he did have a good opportunity but fell out of favor with that other feller who if mention his name I would mess it up. Who is now also playing for someone else. Solak looks all to be a AAAA player. Hopefully a little more polishing up might reap some reward. Meanwhile without looking in the distance he does look like a legitimate serviceable depth piece…..However read instructions before using.
The Reds are like a lost rudderless ship in the sea.
Just no opportunity for Solak with Reds. India, Steer, Senzel, + prospects Mclain, Strand, & EDLC block him in the infield. Lost out to Myer, Fairchild, + lh hitting Benson, Fraley, Friedl in the outfield.