Donovan Solano
Position: 1B/2B/3B
Age: 36 (12/17/1987)
2023 Traditional Stats: 134 G, 450 PA, .282/.369/.391, 5 HR, 26 2B, 111 H, 100 SO, 40 BB
2023 Advanced Stats: 1.7 bWAR, 110 OPS+, .366 BABIP, .109 ISO, 90.2 HardH%, 43.7% EV, 41 GB%, 31.9 LD%
Rundown
Donovan Solano thrived as a utility infielder for the Twins at age 35 last season.
Solano, who signed a one-year, $2 million contract before the 2023 season, continued his contact-first approach. He slashed .282/.369/.391 in 134 games played and was a consistent bat for the Twins, who won the 2023 American League Central Division.
While Solano was an on-base and average-first hitter last season, he finished with shockingly high hard-hit rates. He owned a 90.2 mph average exit velocity and a 43.7% hard-hit percentage.
These hard-hit numbers showed in the doubles column, but did not translate to home runs. Solano finished with 26 doubles on the season but only recorded five homers. This was due to the lack of lift in his swing, which could be seen in his 41% groundball rate and his 13.1-degree launch angle.
The lack of homers wasn’t an issue for Solano and the Twins. He still provided an 110 OPS+, 1.7 bWAR, and played the second-most games of any player on the team at 35 years old. Plus, along with his offensive production, Solano provided defensive versatility in the field.
The Columbian native played at three positions in 2023: first base (83 games), second base (28 games), and third base (19 games). While Solano tallied a negative outs above average (OAA) figure (-7 in 2o23) between all the positions he played in 2023, he only committed five total errors in 793 innings, and provided relief to the Twins who lost Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, and Alex Kirilloff for significant periods due to injury.
It’s fair to say the Twins got more bang for their buck with Solano. He played three positions for the club, was an above-average offensive player, while playing in 134 games in 2023, which only Carlos Correa accomplished for the Twins last season.
Contract
Solano is projected to sign a one-year, $5.4 million deal per Spotrac.com.
While this price point may seem fair based on his 2023, Solano might not receive a deal in the $5 million range due to his age. He’s going to be 36 in 2024 and has averaged only 82 games played per season in 10 major league seasons.
Sure, one reason for the lack of games played is due to a minimized role throughout his career, but Solano has an injury history as well. He had a serious hamstring injury with the Reds in 2021 that landed him on the 60-day injured list and also dealt with a knee sprain with the Twins last season.
A one-year deal closer to $3 million makes more sense. Regardless, not a lot of resources will be dedicated to brining the veteran in.
Recommendation
There’s a multitude of reasons why the Mets shouldn’t sign Solano.
The first is he’s redundant on the roster. The Mets have Jeff McNeil, who can play third base, second base, and the outfield. First base is also already covered by Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos.
Secondly, Solano is somewhat of a wildcard. He’s going to be 36 next season and played in the most games in his career last season. Solano could easily repeat his offensive numbers from last year, as he broke out in 2020 with the Giants, but he could reinjure his hamstring or knee.
Finally, and most importantly, Solano is a step in the wrong direction for the Mets. Stearns and the front office have young players in Brett Baty, Vientos, Drew Gilbert, and Luisangel Acuña who are on the horizon of either becoming productive major league players or debuting in Queens. Solano would take at-bats away from those players and wouldn’t move the needle for a team competing for a wildcard.
Not to mention, an apparent large theme with new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, is bringing in guys who are terrific fielders. Solano is the opposite of that, as his -7 OAA last season indicates.
Solano simply doesn’t fit.
