San Diego Padres add former SF Giants Silver Slugger on a minor league deal

After an extended foray into free agency, former SF Giants Silver Slugger Donovan Solano has found a new home for 2024. The 10-year veteran has landed with the San Diego Padres on a minor league deal according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

San Diego Padres add former SF Giants Silver Slugger on a minor league deal

The financial details are not yet known but the guaranteed portion will likely be for a relatively low annual value. That is, if the Padres do eventually add him to the roster. This offseason has been unusually unkind to many free agents, especially ones like Solano who can certainly still help a team win.

For now, he will report to the Padres' complex in Arizona to work out in extended spring training before eventually getting game reps in the upper minors. From there, the Padres will have to decide if there is roster space and a role with the club.

Nevertheless, Solano experienced a bit of a career renaissance with the Giants. He came up as a glove-first middle infielder with the Miami Marlins in the early 2010's, but has transitioned to a solid hitter with the ability to move around the diamond.

The Giants originally signed him to a minor league deal before the 2019 season. In three seasons with San Francisco, he slashed .308/.354/.435 (113 OPS+) with a 5.8 percent walk rate, 18.8 percent strikeout rate, and a .128 ISO. This includes an impressive 2020 campaign in which he registered an .828 OPS in 203 plate appearances while taking home a Silver Slugger Award. Plus, it is hard to ignore that it just felt like he had a knack for clutch hitting.

Since then, he has appeared with the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins. In 2023, the righty bat posted a solid .760 OPS with five home runs in 450 plate appearances for a Twins team that reached the playoffs. He is still capable of playing multiple positions, but the defensive metrics have painted a more unfavorable picture of his work in recent seasons.

It is one of the reasons why he saw so much time at first base with Minnesota. Solano will look to continue his playing career with the Padres after getting some game reps in the minors first.