Former SF Giants Silver Slugger winner finds new home with Seattle Mariners

A former SF Giants Silver Slugger has signed with the Seattle Mariners in free agency. Donovan Solano was a member of the Giants from 2019 to 2021 but he is now continuing his career with Seattle.

Solano was a key member of the 2021 Giants team that won 107 games. However, his best year with San Francisco came before that in the pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020.

SF Giants fan-favorite Donovan Solano signs with Seattle

That season Solano slashed .326/.365/.463 with 3 home runs and 29 RBI which earned him the Silver Slugger award among National League second basemen. Of course, because it was done during the 2020 season it may have a bit of an asterisk next to it but it was still impressive and was a continuation of Solano’s strong 2019 season with San Francisco so it is not like it came completely out of nowhere.

Solano’s story is pretty remarkable because he played in the major leagues with the Miami Marlins and New York Yankees from 2012 to 2016, but then he did not appear in a major league game until 2019. Since his return in 2019 he has had an impressive career resurgence. He had the good years with the Giants and then went on to have solid years with the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, and San Diego Padres. Over the course of the past three seasons he has slashed .284/.353/.397 with 17 home runs and 97 RBI.

It is impressive that he has continued to be a solid hitter this late into his career. He is 37 years old but his bat is seemingly as consistent as ever. 

A reunion with the Giants seemed fairly unlikely coming into this offseason because Solano is basically limited to first base and third base positionally and can also serve as a designated hitter which is basically the exact same role that Wilmer Flores has on the team. Plus, Flores provides more power than Solano so he arguably has more upside even though he struggled in 2024 and dealt with injury. 

It seems like Solano is entering a good situation in Seattle where he will be able to contribute a lot on the big league roster. The Mariners signed him to a $3.5 million contract so they are clearly expecting him to make an impact on the big league roster. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto called Solano one of the most underrated hitters in the game and it is hard to argue with that based on his numbers. Solano is not the splashiest name, but Giants fans know how solid he can be so let’s hope he can continue his impressive career in 2025 and beyond.