Like most teams, the Minnesota Twins are looking to put the finishing touches to their player pool as Grapefruit League action gets underway. Many of the remaining transactions will be in an effort to improve the team along the margins. Maybe a team needs an arm to compete for the last spot in a bullpen. Or perhaps they bring in some late-signing free agents to replace an injured player. Hired guns can even be acquired to push other fringe players into competing for their share as spring camp rolls along.
On the other hand, teams will sign some guys to fix a problem that their new team doesn’t even have. That’s where we find Donovan Solano, Minnesota’s newest infielder.
The 35-year-old veteran signed a one-year contract with the team this week, worth a guaranteed $2 million plus incentives. While he has plenty of experience around the infield in his nine big-league seasons, he will most likely stick to first base with the Twins, with occasional appearances at second.
The club was set to roll with a combination of Alex Kirilloff, José Miranda and Joey Gallo at first base as they head into the season. Those are three players that are expected to require plenty of playing time, even after the Solano signing. Not to mention, Nick Gordon, Kyle Farmer and Michael A. Taylor will need to see plenty of time coming off the bench based on the expected revolving door of star players requiring days off.
Twins fans can expect to see plenty of platoon play for their club, especially in the early going. But that was already going to be the case, and they were already suited to put a strong effort into that strategy with the options already in hand. So, in my best John C. McGinley in Office Space voice, I must ask the question to the Twins’ newest player – “So… what would you say you do here?”
Don’t get me wrong, Solano can definitely still be a useful player, especially against left-handed pitching. He’s shown the ability to be a competent on-base threat over the last handful of years after re-emerging in the major leagues with the San Francisco Giants in 2019. Since the beginning of that season, Solano has a combined .301/.350/.421 (.771 OPS) clip, which is about nine percent above average according to wRC+. His greatest strength, his numbers against southpaws over the last four seasons, have mostly been great (125 wRC+ in 2019, 136 in 2020 and 120 in 2021) but he came back down to earth last season (112 wRC+ in 2022).
That can certainly be useful, and in no way is this assessment of the situation supposed to tarnish him as a player. He’s a competent veteran who can help in the margins, even if his 2022 campaign was mediocre. But therein lies the reason for my raised eyebrow. His greatest strength seemingly diminished last year, while the other Twins players that he will be sharing time with had greater success in that area.
Just take a look at some of the players who are now tasked with sharing playing time with Solano. Miranda had a fantastic 132 wRC+ against lefties last year. Yes, the plan is for him to get plenty of playing time at the hot corner this year, but then there’s Farmer who could slot in for him as he moves back to first base on occasion. Farmer had monumentally better numbers against left-handed pitching in 2022 (.309/.380/.568, 152 wRC+).
So there are already seemingly two options that are more optimal for this playing time than Solano, and that doesn’t even take into account the three top prospects who are bound to get the call to the major leagues this season. Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee and Edouard Julien are consensus top-five prospects in the Twins organization knocking on the doors of their big league careers. Where is Solano’s opportunity for playing time going to come from when even one of them establishes themselves and requires regular play in an infield position?
So Minnesota’s newest addition is guaranteed major league playing time based on his contract, is limited to first base with occasional spells at second, and is at best third on the depth chart for either position. Oh, and there’s a ticking time clock for him to make a good impression before the young guns get called up.
Simply put, this move was made to raise the depth on the roster. There will almost certainly be injuries that lead to a bigger role for Solano. We saw just how devastating injuries can be, even for contending teams. The Twins were in first place in the division into September last year before their stars went down with various ailments. But as things stand right now, the roster is looking pretty healthy as they head into their first games of spring training. Solano fixes a problem that the Twins don’t have yet.
Maybe that’s the point.
