Replacing Donovan Solano Is Not as Easy as You Think

[Greggory Masterson]

Donovan Solano wasn't the first name most people thought of when looking for a platoon bat last offseason. But many of the names that did come to mind fared much, much worse than he did in 2023. It's going to be hard to find a replacement.

Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Donovan Solano is a 35-year-old utility infielder with 32 career home runs. He signed for $2 million last offseason to be an emergency option at second or third base and play first base or DH against lefthanded starters for the Twins. Donovan Solano also was third in plate appearances and fourth in OPS among Twins in 2023.

Solano was an afterthought coming into 2023. Although he was the National League’s Silver Slugger in the shortened 2020 season, he was never a renowned hitter and was merely league-average at the dish in 2021 and 2022. Furthermore, he was no longer considered a good defensive second baseman, mostly playing first base and designated hitter in 2022.

Going into the 2023 season, one of the Twins’ top needs was a competent right-handed bat, primarily to platoon and play some corner position. Between Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Nick Gordon in Minnesota, and Edouard Julien in St. Paul, the Twins had more than enough lefties and needed a bit of salt to their pepper.

The December signing of lefty Joey Gallo was not that salt. However, by the beginning of spring training, there still was no platoon bat to be found on the roster. It may have ended up being Kyle Garlick by default had Solano not signed for $2 million to no fanfare.

It bears repeating that Solano was a top-5 hitter for the Twins. He played first base more than anyone else on the roster—a bat-first position—and he was an above-average hitter, right around the average OPS for first basemen and designated hitters in 2023 (Solano’s OPS was .760—10% above league average—compared to .775 and .756 for first basemen and designated hitters, respectively).

With Solano’s contract expiring and him being 36 by the beginning of next season, it seems unlikely he will be back with the Twins in 2024, filling a similar role. Hence, it stands to reason that his role would need a replacement—some sort of right-handed corner bat who can platoon against lefties and tread water against righties if needed.

Corner positions are the easiest to find competent bats, so logic would suggest that it shouldn’t take too much work to find someone to fill Solano’s shoes. The Twins themselves found him during spring training and committed 1.3% of the 2023 payroll to him.

In theory, these bit players are a dime a dozen. In practice, however, finding the right player requires a bit more work. Now, this role player could already be in the system, as someone like Chris Williams or Michael Helman could be options there. Jose Miranda could regain his footing and take hold of that role as well.

However, if the Twins feel more comfortable finding a veteran for that role, they must choose wisely. Let me show you.

At the beginning of the season, I selected 10 Solano-adjacent players to follow through the year. They were each free agents coming into 2023 and comparable to Solano in some way, mostly in role, handedness, and salary

Among right-handed first base or designated hitter types, I chose Nelson Cruz ($1 million salary), Luke Voit ($2 million with a $12 million team option for 2024), Yuli Gurriel ($1.25 million), Jesus Aguilar ($3.2 million), and Andrew McCutchen ($5 million). I included Mike Moustakas ($740,000) based on name recognition. I also selected right-handed or switch-hitting outfielders Wil Myers ($7 million), Jurickson Profar ($7.75 million), and AJ Pollack ($7 million), as well as third baseman Evan Longoria ($4 million).

Had the Twins brought any of those guys to camp, the reaction would probably have been at least at the minimal level that Solano’s was. 2023 went well for Solano. It went poorly for almost every other name on that list.

Only McCutchen had an above-average OPS (113 OPS+, compared to Solano’s 110). Longoria was the only player beyond McCutchen to be rated as better than replacement level, per Baseball Reference (1.5 rWAR for McCutchen, 0.5 rWAR for Longoria, 1.8 rWAR for Solano). The other eight players registered negative WAR. Three players had a season OPS that started with a five: Voit (.548), Myers (.541), and Pollock (.524).

Gurriel, signed to be Miami’s everyday first baseman, joined McCutchen and Longoria as the only player to remain on the team’s roster all year. However, he played only 108 games and registered 329 plate appearances, compared to Solano’s 134 and 450 plate appearances. The other seven players didn’t make it through the year with their new teams.

Colorado traded away Moustakas to the Angels and Profar to the Padres at the deadline. Profar in particular was a curious case, as he left Colorado with -1.7 WAR then only played 14 games for the Padres, but hit quite well in that short opportunity. Pollock was traded for a player to be named later from Seattle to San Francisco, where he had six plate appearances before being released.

Cruz and Myers were released by San Diego and Cincinnati, respectively, in the middle of the year. Neither found a place to play out the rest of the season. Aguilar was released by the (with all due respect) opossum shelter that is the Oakland A’s. The Braves signed him but never played a game above AAA.

Voit takes the cake for the released crowd, as Milwaukee released him not once but twice. After the second release, he signed with the Mets but didn’t play a game. His $12 million option will not be getting picked up.

It’s easy to look at the value that Solano gave the Twins and assume that another affordable corner bat can be picked up easily, but the recent past suggests that finding that savvy veteran bat is more complicated than we might think.

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[tony&rodney]

Solano was a real gem this past season. He had personal records in nearly every single category within counting stats. No doubt, Donny Barrels had a good year. Can he repeat himself at the plate and will he get as many at bats? All of Polanco, Farmer, and Solano are good players to have on the team, but I wonder if the good news concerning Alex Kirilloff pushes a reunion with Solano off the list of guys to bring back.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I really enjoyed Donnie Barrels this past year. He set personal records. Next year, I hope he does as well or better, but that is not a chance I would want the Twins to take. In addition the Twins have too many other, younger, faster, more powerful and frankly, better defensive players, already available in the organization. The odds are against Solano returning to the Twins in 2024.

[stringer bell]

As with Kyle Farmer, it isn't what he did in 2023, it will be what is projected in 2024. At 36, I wouldn't be too interested in Solano. He's slow, he's short and he isn't a good defender. 

If the Twins want to get younger and more athletic, replacing Donnie Barrels with a younger player is a way to start. I believe the job will eventually belong to Jose Miranda.

[ashbury]

For a bat-first player he doesn't have enough bat anymore, based on the past three seasons.  Surely he can be replaced internally by a player who also has flaws, simply different flaws, and come out about the same.  And maybe they can do better than that low threshold.

[MTV]

Your solution for Donnie Barrels is Brandon Drury. He’s not that expensive, 1yr/$8.5m isn’t hard to take on, he had almost 59 XBHs and 83 RBIs in just 125 games, he plays solid first/second. Best of all you know you can acquire him because the angels are gonna try to trade everyone worth a dime on their major league roster who has less than 3 years of team control. You can send a package of Larnach/Winder and get Drury and Estevez from the Angels, he’d be a good platoon with Julien and a makeshift 1B for an injured Kirilloff.

[Karbo]

They should try to replace him with one of the kids in the minors IMO. I think if healthy the job will go to Miranda.

[rv78]

Replacing him is NOT complicated at all. If a Miranda isn't an option then using the $11M wasted on Gallo and the $2M used on Solano can bring in a $13M dollar player that would be much better than what that money was spent on last season.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Give Miranda a chance to redeem himself first. There is really little need to replace Solano with players who are outside the Twins organization. There are enough players already available.  

[Swing Batter-Batter]

9 hours ago, ashbury said:

For a bat-first player he doesn't have enough bat anymore, based on the past three seasons.  Surely he can be replaced internally by a player who also has flaws, simply different flaws, and come out about the same.  And maybe they can do better than that low threshold.

Surely? Yet, he was the best option in 2023, as they could not do better. If someone emerges, great but, as of right now, I don't see that name.

[Dman]

I do agree with the premise of this article that Solano's numbers will not be easy to replace.  There was a moment there around mid season where he was around an .800 OPS and looking like a close Arraez replacement.  He also was a tough out in clutch situations and a dangerous bat even with two strikes. His .282 BA shows he can hit but most of those hits were singles. He also doesn't hit for much power so pitchers had a tendency to go right after him not fearing he would do much damage.

The main issues though are that he doesn't have much positional flexibility and he is going to be 36 next year.  Also there isn't going to be much 40 man room left after the Twins add Martin, Camargo, Rodriguez and Severino to the 40 man. The Twins might also try to lower payroll until the TV deal is figured out and I think Solano will have earned a raise after what he did this past year. So all of those things seem like strikes against bringing him back.

I think he has a couple of good years left in that bat if healthy and put in good platoon spots he can still be very effective, but I don't see him as a good fit for the Twins who have a lot of young bats coming up. They might not be able to instantly replace Solano's production but I think they can get close and they need opportunities to play as well.  I was happily surprised by what Solano brought to the team last year, but I still think it is time to move on.

[saviking]

What I like about Chris Williams:

Right handed power bat. Batting average is a bit low but carries a 352 OBP.

can be a right handed first baseman, right handed DH AND ab emergency cather.  

26 years old so now or never ..

[Greggory Masterson]

13 minutes ago, Dman said:

I do agree with the premise of this article that Solano's numbers will not be easy to replace.  There was a moment there around mid season where he was around an .800 OPS and looking like a close Arraez replacement.  He also was a tough out in clutch situations and a dangerous bat even with two strikes. His .282 BA shows he can hit but most of those hits were singles. He also doesn't hit for much power so pitchers had a tendency to go right after him not fearing he would do much damage.

The main issues though are that he doesn't have much positional flexibility and he is going to be 36 next year.  Also there isn't going to be much 40 man room left after the Twins add Martin, Camargo, Rodriguez and Severino to the 40 man. The Twins might also try to lower payroll until the TV deal is figured out and I think Solano will have earned a raise after what he did this past year. So all of those things seem like strikes against bringing him back.

I think he has a couple of good years left in that bat if healthy and put in good platoon spots he can still be very effective, but I don't see him as a good fit for the Twins who have a lot of young bats coming up. They might not be able to instantly replace Solano's production but I think they can get close and they need opportunities to play as well.  I was happily surprised by what Solano brought to the team last year, but I still think it is time to move on.

I also think that the answer is going to need to be internal. Hopefully one of the AAA bats or Jose Miranda can fill in the gap. I’m not willing to bet on Solano repeating and probably getting more money, and given this year’s results discussed in the article, I have very little faith a veteran can be counted on to fill that hole.

My initial thought on Solano was that he’d play out the first half of the season as a placeholder until other bats were deemed ready. Maybe something similar happens with worse results, but I don’t expect a Solano season from anyone they’d bring in like that

[tony&rodney]

7 hours ago, MTV said:

Your solution for Donnie Barrels is Brandon Drury. He’s not that expensive, 1yr/$8.5m isn’t hard to take on, he had almost 59 XBHs and 83 RBIs in just 125 games, he plays solid first/second. Best of all you know you can acquire him because the angels are gonna try to trade everyone worth a dime on their major league roster who has less than 3 years of team control. You can send a package of Larnach/Winder and get Drury and Estevez from the Angels, he’d be a good platoon with Julien and a makeshift 1B for an injured Kirilloff.

Maybe. Drury hits for extra bases, but he has a low OBP and strikes out a ton. The Twins are pretty saturated at second base too. Still, it is a fair idea to ponder.

[Dman]

4 minutes ago, Greggory Masterson said:

I also think that the answer is going to need to be internal. Hopefully one of the AAA bats or Jose Miranda can fill in the gap. I’m not willing to bet on Solano repeating and probably getting more money, and given this year’s results discussed in the article, I have very little faith a veteran can be counted on to fill that hole.

My initial thought on Solano was that he’d play out the first half of the season as a placeholder until other bats were deemed ready. Maybe something similar happens with worse results, but I don’t expect a Solano season from anyone they’d bring in like that

Yeah the placeholder idea is appealing for the right price. Hard to say if Miranda will be ready to start the season and Severino and Lee need more time in AAA as well so that spot could be light when lefties pitch.  Relying on young bats to start the season generally is a bad idea as there is no way to know how they will perform.  It will be interesting to see what moves the Twins make this offseason.  There are ways there could be room for Solano but other players would need to be traded or let go first IMO.

[nicksaviking]

Top priority should be to replace Gray, but if they don't do that via free agency, and it would be a first if they did sign and not trade for a pitcher of that caliber, I'd advocate for spending the free agent money at 1B with Rhys Hoskins actually. He sees as many pitches as anyone in the league, which we now know is the Twins top offensive priority, but unlike half the current roster, his K% is a reasonable 24%.

In other words, I'd look for a full-timer for the spot, not a part-timer. Kirilloff/Julien/Miranda would be the Solano part as far as filling in at 1B goes.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Lots of calls to replace Solano with an in-house candidate.  With all of the injuries and player movement this year, I think if the Twins felt there was a solid in-house candidate we would have seen him.

Still early in the offseason, but still huge questions on Kiriloff.  I would not be surprised to see a run at a "full-time" guy either through trade or FA.  If the Twins do not like what they see, a reunion with Solano on another 1 yr deal is very plausible.

[farmerguychris]

We already have enough IF about ready to play significant innings in the high minors.  Lets give them a chance to fill that role first.  We signed Solano right before the season started, we can do again if the current roster options don't look good in spring training.  Lee, Martin, etc.

[Jkeady12]

Please make it be Michael Helman. If he is and stays healthy he is the perfect fit. If the Twins don't get him up to the majors he will end up somewhere else one day and come back to haunt the Twins.

[Jeff K]

11 hours ago, stringer bell said:

As with Kyle Farmer, it isn't what he did in 2023, it will be what is projected in 2024. At 36, I wouldn't be too interested in Solano. He's slow, he's short and he isn't a good defender. 

If the Twins want to get younger and more athletic, replacing Donnie Barrels with a younger player is a way to start. I believe the job will eventually belong to Jose Miranda.

Well, you might be right about Solano not returning, but I would not place a positive bet on Miranda.  He's a lousy fielder and didn't hit last year.  I get that he could hit again, but don't forget his fielding.  Again, I agree on Solano, but greatly appreciate what he did for the Twins this year...and I thought he played solidly at first.

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, Swing Batter-Batter said:

Surely? Yet, he was the best option in 2023, as they could not do better. If someone emerges, great but, as of right now, I don't see that name.

 

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I do agree with the premise of this article that Solano's numbers will not be easy to replace.  There was a moment there around mid season where he was around an .800 OPS and looking like a close Arraez replacement. 

That moment was around July 15, and after that date, which is a significant stretch of time, his OPS was .691.  That's the guy I'm comfortably sure can be replaced either internally or with some other option with higher upside.  I'm not a huge fan of relatively punchless batting average.

I don't hate the guy - he seemed a good teammate and had his moments on the field - but all in all I'm real comfortable moving on, just like his teams did the previous two seasons.

[JD Green]

Solano's fate with the Twins will probably be determined when structuring the 40 man for the Rule 5 draft.

[Riverbrian]

Kirilloff, Polanco, Correa, Lewis, Julien, Farmer, Castro, Gordon, Miranda And Solano? 

Keeping the platoon structure intact: Which I hope they don't fully commit to again but they probably will. 

VS RH

DH Julien or Buxton

C Jeffers or Vazquez

1B Kirilloff or Julien

2B Polanco 

3B Lewis,

SS Correa

LF Wallner or Kirilloff

CF Buxton or Castro or Gordon

RF Kepler

That's 12 out of 13 roster spots and Farmer isn't listed vs RH for 13. 

VS LH

DH Polanco

C Jeffers or Vazquez

1B Need Someone 

2B Farmer

3B Lewis

SS Correa

LF Castro

CF Buxton or Castro  

RF Kepler

That's 9 roster spots with Julien, Kirilloff, Wallner or Gordon not listed for 13

OK... In order to maintain that platoon integrity... Someone has to go make room since we will be short short side right handers. 

I choose Gordon... His roster spot can go to short side platoon guy. So you plug Solano back into his short side platoon 1B role. Easy enough... but it leaves the problem of right handed OF depth if Buxton can't play CF. Castro can't cover both LF and CF against left handers so you are now forcing Wallner to face those dreaded left handed pitchers and the platoon system starts to erode a little bit. 

It also creates the problem of: Solano is brought back... and now we got almost the same roster that we finished with minus Taylor. How does that IMPROVE this roster. 

Keeping the heavy platoon system is going to be difficult this off-season and it will block the Twins from really improving the offense with a bigger bat if they instead search for Jordan Luplow again to fill this specific short side role. 

Look for a talented CF and give Gordon's spot to the acquisition.

Besides... and perhaps even more important... You can commit to the heavy locked into come hell or high water platoon strategy once again. Spend your off-season trying to plug in the spaces and set your roster to execute it as you hit opening day. A couple of weeks later... Boom... a couple of injuries and that perfectly set platoon roster is in chaos.

Just go big... Get a big bat who can hit both lefties and righties. Let the young lefties get some swings in against left handed pitchers. 

[Brandon]

I’m ok with bringing him back but it would need to be in the 2-4 million range.  And hopefully this year he would get around 250-300 ABs. Primarily because Buxton is getting more time in the OF and Solano gets some DH ABs.  His OBP was an Arraez replacement, though not quite as good.  His XBH were similar too. He makes a nice Pinch Hitter DH and occasional IF mostly 1B at this point but emergency at 2nd or 3rd.  I would still expect a .330+ OBP from him and doubles.  I’m also fine if we move on.  
 

Luckily our offseason is primarily restructuring our bench and finding a Sonny Gray replacement.  This team is mostly set beyond this.  So we can debate this all winter. 🤔

[DJL44]

Other veteran bat options who wouldn't cost much to acquire:

Ty France

Whit Merrifield

Tyler O'Neill

JD Davis

fun fact: Adolis Garcia was DFA off the 40 man roster twice in his career

[Trov]

I think the hope for the Twins will be replacing him through the young guys in the minors. There are chances a vet could fill the role, but we have plenty of options if they cannot. We could also look to bring him back. 

[Minny505]

We have Farmer under contract at a reasonable cost. He had a better OPS against LHP in 2023, as well as for their respective careers. Farmer is also younger and a far better defender with more versatility. 

Next question.

[DJL44]

Another option to fill Solano's role is Jorge Polanco.

[DocBauer]

Yes, it might indeed by difficult to replace what Solano did for the Twins in 2023. That seems especially true when you look at the list of other "candidates" of production that were monitored. 

But it doesn't mean the guy to replace Solano's production is Solano. His 2nd half was not as good as the 1st half. He's going to be 37yo. He has very little power. He's limited defensively, though honestly, I don't think he looked awful at any of the 3 spots we saw him at.

I sit firm and comfortable in the middle of the Helman bandwagon. The Twins brought him to camp as a non 40 man invite as they saw something in him following 2022. Unfortunately, from a hamstring, to a concussion, to a dislocated shoulder, he lost a lot of this past season. But he was really good when he did play! He's got speed, pop/power, and can/has played all 7 spots on the field. And I will repeat what I've said previously, if he was healthy, I don't think you would have ever seen Luplow on the roster.

I have finally become convinced Martin is going to be pretty good...if not really good...following a strong end to 2022 and his AFL performance. His 2nd half of this year...when finally healthy...wasn't great, but it was really good. I can honestly see him being the primary CF for the Twins in the 2nd half of 2024, though I'm hoping it won't come to that. (fingers perpetually crossed for Buxton health). It's also possible he plays the whole year with the Twins in a OF utility role. (he doesn't really NEED to play 2B/3B, but he can).

Does Williams get a shot as a 1B/DH/#3 C? There might be room/fit for him.

If Miranda shows up healthy and looks like his 2022 self, problem solved. He can fill in at both corner INF spots and DH and provide solid contact with power. After his milb breakout in 2021 and how good he looked for the bulk of 2022, he shouldn't be dismissed so easily.

If our biggest concern is simply 1B, why not Polanco? I like the idea of Polanco being able to play almost daily...mostly at 2B of course...but also able to fill in at 3B/SS and 1B as necessary. If Farmer is kept, he can play 2B, Polanco can play 1B, problem solved. 

I have little doubt Solano will be available late in FA, or early in ST like he was last season. I'm grateful for everything he did to contribute to the team's success this past year. But I don't see him as being the replacement for himself.

[darin617]

Solano is needed back because of the lack of health from Kirilloff. 

It's just like how screwed the Twins would have been in 2023 without Michael A Taylor and Wili Castro.