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Padres Sign Donovan Solano To Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | April 15, 2024 at 4:45pm CDT

The Padres have signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano to a minor league deal, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Solano will report to the club’s Arizona facilities for now but will presumably move to a higher affiliate after getting in a delayed Spring Training of sorts.

Solano, 36, has somewhat quietly been a very effective utility guy over the past five seasons. After playing in the majors from 2012 to 2016, Solano was stuck in the minors for 2017 and 2018. He made it back to the show with the Giants in 2019 and spent three years with them.

He got into 236 games in those three years, one of which was the shortened 2020 season, and hit .308/.354/.435. His 5.8% walk rate was below average but he was also tough to strike out, a rate of just 18.8%. He did that while providing the club with plenty of defensive versatility, bouncing between shortstop, second base and third base.

The past two years have seen him sign one-year deals, first with the Reds and then with the Twins, largely producing in a similar manner. He has a combined slash line of .296/.355/.413 from 2019 through 2023, which translates to a wRC+ of 112, indicating he’s been 12% better than the league average hitter. He didn’t play shortstop at all in the past two years but added first base into his repertoire.

Given the generally solid offense and his ability to bounce around the infield, it’s a bit surprising that he has lingered on the open market this long. There was a rumor in January that the Twins were interested in bringing him back to Minnesota but his winter was quiet apart from that.

It would appear that Solano was another victim of an offseason that wasn’t kind to many players. Stars like Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and Jordan Montgomery had to settle for short-term deals well below expectations while even guys at the lower tiers struggled. Late in the winter, position players like Amed Rosario, Gio Urshela, Michael A. Taylor, Adam Duvall, Randal Grichuk and others signed deals for $4MM or less.

That will work to the Padres’ benefit, as they’ve now brought aboard a talented infielder without having to commit a roster spot. The financial components of the deal aren’t known but Solano probably won’t be guaranteed much even if he is eventually added to the roster.

The Friars have had a bit of a rotating infield picture over the past few months. It was reported at the start of Spring Training that Xander Bogaerts would be moving from shortstop to second base, with Ha-Seong Kim taking over at short. Manny Machado had elbow surgery in the offseason that had prevented him from taking his normal third base position, but he has been serving as the designated hitter.

With Machado not able to take the field, the third base playing time has been split between Tyler Wade, Eguy Rosario and Graham Pauley. Pauley was making his major league debut but scuffled enough to get optioned after just seven games. Rosario has two home runs in his 13 games this year but his 39.1% strikeout rate is on the worrying side. Wade has spent many years as a speed-and-defense utility guy who doesn’t hit much and he’s currently batting .222/.317/.250 this year.

Machado will eventually return to the third base spot, which will lead to reduced infield playing time, though that will also open up the designated hitter slot. Perhaps Solano would make sense on the club at that time, as he could provide depth at multiple infield spots while providing the club with a bit more offense than someone like Wade while striking out less than Rosario.

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San Diego Padres Transactions Donovan Solano

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44 Comments

  1. HiredGun23

    1 year ago

    This could turn out to be a sneaky good move…

    12
    Reply
    • Acoss1331

      1 year ago

      Dude had an OPS plus of 111 and a nice slash line, I can’t believe he didn’t get a big league deal this past off-season.

      12
      Reply
      • Baseball’s Topics on Baseball Today

        1 year ago

        Lot of decent quality bats of the same mold that were as good or better this year. Same reason Belt hasn’t signed.

        1
        Reply
    • Padres-Padres-Padres

      1 year ago

      Nice depth move. He’s been clutch in the past and a better choice for the roster now than to rush Pauley.

      4
      Reply
    • MLB Top 100 Commenter

      1 year ago

      Outbid for Pham? I like Donnie Barrels better than Pham in the clubhouse anyway.

      7
      Reply
      • OldSaltUSN

        1 year ago

        Ya notice, there aren’t any of those usual “rumors” out there, that ANY ballplayer on the Padres was pulling for AJP to sign Pham. I don’t think the Padres clubhouse wants him back. Now, Profar, is a different situation. MOST of the Padres vet’s wanted Jurickson back on the team, and so far this year, he’s proven why (though his hitting stats will likely return to somewhere near his historical norm).

        That’s a big difference between two ballplayers..

        1
        Reply
  2. spooky

    1 year ago

    Donnie Barrels

    6
    Reply
  3. SFBay314

    1 year ago

    You spelled Solano wrong it’s B-A-R-R-E-L-S

    4
    Reply
  4. Gwynning

    1 year ago

    Donnie Barrels, meet Jackson Barrel

    10
    Reply
  5. FanDan

    1 year ago

    Would rather have Belt as a DH.

    Reply
    • Motor City Beach Bum

      1 year ago

      I wonder why no one has signed Belt. Seems weird given the quality year he had in 2023.

      2
      Reply
      • OldSaltUSN

        1 year ago

        Age. His stats are trending in the direction one would expect for a retiring MLB star, and no one wants to commit money for that. (Well, except AJP, who might have scr*wed the pooch on Davrish’s extension. Then again, if one were bet on a current MLB starter to still pitch effectively to age 42, it’d be Darvish. If he’s lost clicks on his fastball, he’ll rework his game to become effective with less stuff. Having watched this guy’s history, I believe that Darvish may eventually make AJP look good with that last contract.)

        3
        Reply
        • ck99

          1 year ago

          He’s aging but I’m surprised no one offered a one or two year deal to Belt.

          Reply
    • Datashark

      1 year ago

      White Sox should grab him so they would have a stockpile of oft-injured players.

      Reply
    • Brew’88

      1 year ago

      baffles me

      Reply
  6. AllAboutBaseball

    1 year ago

    Donnie Barrels!!!

    1
    Reply
  7. Windowpane

    1 year ago

    This guy is decent. Surprised he was unsigned.

    3
    Reply
  8. towinagain

    1 year ago

    Good move Pads! Always been a Solano fan!

    2
    Reply
    • Gwynning

      1 year ago

      And we’re still under the CBT… which is what was happening all offseason, tow.

      8
      Reply
      • towinagain

        1 year ago

        The credit goes to Preller.

        3
        Reply
        • Gwynning

          1 year ago

          100%!

          4
          Reply
        • Brew88

          1 year ago

          Agreed

          2
          Reply
  9. Now Yu Know

    1 year ago

    I’m wondering if Wade may be on the way out and Solano will replace him?

    1
    Reply
    • Brew’88

      1 year ago

      My thoughts as well, or Eguy. One will have to go when Solano gets rostered

      Reply
      • Brew88

        1 year ago

        Or maybe they send Musgrove to minors for some reps and bring up Solano

        Reply
        • OldSaltUSN

          1 year ago

          What?!! You’ve got to be talking about someone other than Musgrove, ’cause your post haven’t been on the crazy side.

          Reply
        • Brew88

          1 year ago

          I allowed to be crazy now and then?

          Reply
    • OldSaltUSN

      1 year ago

      @soup

      Well, it could just be more for depth. Injuries, slumps occure regularly in the MLB. What option would AJP have tomorrow, if he needed a veteran utility infielder? This one looks like a pretty good backup. What if Kim or Bogaerts went down tomorrow? What if Manny takes a few more months, or regresses?

      Besides, how much competitive baseball has Solano played since Feb 1st? He’ll need that minor league time just to get back into the game. This opportunity is Spring Training for Solano, who was as good as “MLB retired” before he signed.

      Looks like a good move for everyone involved..

      1
      Reply
      • Brew88

        1 year ago

        All those reasons yes. And, not that i think they will (because they should be competing for playoff spot), but Solano is also IF depth in the event that they trade HSK at deadline.

        Reply
      • Now Yu Know

        1 year ago

        Agreed @oldsalt. It’s a good move all around.

        Reply
  10. truthlemonade

    1 year ago

    SD has given Tyler Wade 42 PAs and he is in the lineup for tonight. Eguy Rosario only has 23 PAs, but he has vastly outhit Wade, while striking out 9 times.

    I don’t know who is better at 3b defense, but it is probably not a huge difference.

    I wonder if they’re giving Wade every opportunity to right himself, and if he can’t improve, cut him and bring Solano up as DH/utility.

    I think SD can’t really justify every playing Wade at DH.

    Reply
    • straightuphonestguy

      1 year ago

      Eggy has some enticing power, but I think I’d rather see Wade and Solano form a L/R platoon the way Eggy and Wade are being used now. Great ability to boost the bottom of the lineup and matchup to relievers late in games. I think Pauley could be back if they’re willing to give him the majority of DH starts against right handers.

      2
      Reply
  11. straightuphonestguy

    1 year ago

    Solid depth signing. My guess is once Machado is back in the field they call Pauley up as a primary DH while Wade and Solano platoon around the infield on rest days for the starters. Bench looks worlds better than last year.

    2
    Reply
  12. King123

    1 year ago

    Solano is very underrated

    3
    Reply
  13. DockEllisDee

    1 year ago

    Gotta love Donnie Barrels man

    1
    Reply
    • Now Yu Know

      1 year ago

      Ok, someone enlighten me, I’m not familiar with the Donnie Barrels reference.

      Reply
      • Habeto

        1 year ago

        Not sure if you are joking, but in case you’re not, Solano got that nickname when he played for SF. Check his bio.

        Reply
  14. jaysfansince1977

    1 year ago

    Blue Jays re-instate Jansen, guess ya all missed that BIG NEWS

    Reply
    • RussianFemboy

      1 year ago

      Lets gooo! finally Kirk wont start as much,

      Reply
  15. OldSaltUSN

    1 year ago

    If signing Solano means no Tommy Pham, then I’m a fan of this signing. I don’t hate Tommy. He is a talented veteran ballplayer. I just would rather not have him go near any team I root for, for … various reasons.

    Edit: Looks like Pham is catching on with the White Sox, though as of this moment, it still looks like it’s in progress (i.e. probably waiting on physicals). Good luck Tommy. I hope ya have a bang up year.

    1
    Reply
    • VermonsterSD

      1 year ago

      Good place for Pham, crappy team, he can worry about himself, which is his normal way of doing things.

      Reply
  16. OldSaltUSN

    1 year ago

    On another note: It’s still early, but with all that angst out there about the Padres outfield, plus the contempt many had for the Profar signing, it’s working out ok. Of course, “small sample size” and the rest of the qualifiers, but the Padres OF is making 2024 a WHOLE lot more fun than 2023. Remember Sota, Grisham, Tatis’ still serving a suspension, and later still ramping up to his old form. 2024 is WORLDS better than 2023 for the outfield.

    We’ll see how long it lasts, but hey, we’re all baseball fans. You take what the game gives you today, and day by day.

    (Note: Plus, the OF defense of the Pads ain’t bad either. I recall WAY, way back when AJP first took over, one of his stated priorities was to have “three CF in the Padres OF”, due to the characteristics of Petco Park. Lookin’ pretty good on OF defense, for 2024.)

    padres.mlblogs.com/friar-notes-padres-outfielders-…

    2
    Reply
  17. 408inthe619

    1 year ago

    Jake is DTD with that calf injury. Donnie may be getting called up sooner than later if IL stint is necessary

    Reply
    • Brew’88

      1 year ago

      Batten up. Sullivan down

      Reply

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