Padres Sign Veteran Infielder to Minor League Deal
The San Diego Padres have signed former rival and veteran infielder Donovan Solano to a minor league deal.
The San Diego Tribune's Kevin Acee announced the signing on his Twitter/X account:
Solano will report to the club's Arizona facilities for now and will move to a higher affiliate soon enough. The 36-year-old has played for the Miami Marlins, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and the Minnesota Twins. In his 14-year career, Solano is a .279 career hitter with 32 home runs, 244 RBIs, 683 hits, and a .711 career OPS.
His best seasons came in 2019 and 2020 with the Giants. The righty hitter slashed .328/.362/.459 with a .821 OPS, 121 OPS+, seven home runs, and 52 RBIs. However, he only played 135 games in those combined two seasons. Still, he was a threat at the plate when available.
Solano suffered from this odd offseason, which wasn't kind to players. Many of the top players, like Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, and Blake Snell, didn't sign until a week or so before the start of the season.
There is no guarantee that Solano will be given an opportunity with the Padres, barring injuries.