It was announced on 13 January that the Seattle Mariners agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with veteran infielder Donovan Solano. Per Robert Murray on X, the deal includes incentives up to an additional $1 million. The Solano signing comes after a dormant offseason thus far from the Mariners Front Office, as this is their first signing for the 26-man roster going into 2025.
Solano, age 37, is an 11-year veteran of MLB, and the Mariners will be his seventh team. In 2024, with the San Diego Padres, Solano posted a line of .286/.343/.417 for a 118 wRC+ in 96 games. Solano is an excellent bat-to-ball hitter, consistently posting a batting average north of .280 since 2019. Although he lacks any power, Solano’s high batting average bat is a welcome sight to a Mariners lineup who can struggle with putting the ball in play.
The obvious holes in the Mariners roster going into the winter were every spot in the infield except shortstop, and Solano can fill all of those holes if need be. Last season, Solano played a majority of his games at third base (32), designated hitter (29), and first base (26)- he only played one game at second base.
It’s too early to tell how the Mariners plan to utilise Solano, but there’s a pretty glaring opportunity to platoon him with Luke Raley. In 2024, Raley hit right-handed pitchers very well (142 wRC+), while struggling against left-handed pitching (70 wRC+). Conversely, Solano smashed left-handed pitching (134 wRC+) and was a little above league-average against right-handed pitching (107 wRC+). Since Solano has been a part-timer for most of his career, placing him in a platoon against only left-handed pitching would preserve that.
There is the opportunity for Solano to be the everyday third baseman, with his last full-time season in 2023 with the Minnesota Twins producing decent results. In 134 games, he slashed .282/.369/.391 for a 116 wRC+, so the bat could be stable enough to sustain production for a full season. With that said, Solano is aging and it’s evident by both his whiff and chase rates steadily declining over the years.
This signing probably puts an end to discussions about re-signing veteran Justin Turner or attempting to trade for Luis Arráez. Solano will most likely fill Turner’s role on the 2024 squad, splitting time between first base and designated hitter. As for Arráez, who just signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Padres, Solano’s profile is very similar to the three-time batting title winner, and the Mariners got him for $10 million less.
Overall, Solano is a solid signing for the Mariners as his contact-oriented bat and defensive versatility fit the areas of needs for the roster. However, the Mariners still need a lot more offensive firepower and should be far from done in their infield dealings this offseason. Going off reports, the Mariners should still have approximately $12 million to shore up their remaining weaknesses.
Photo credits: Photo of Solano celebrating by K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune. Solano halfway through swing in brown Padres uni: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images. Photo in Twins uniform: AP Photo/David Zalubowski.
Article by Jake Tomosello. Look out for more Mariners content from Jake during the 2025 season. You can find him all across social media at @RaiseTheTrident.
