Ex-Giants Silver Slugger Could Be Worthy Signing For Red Sox To Improve Infield Depth
Spring training is right around the corner but that doesn't mean the Boston Red Sox don't have any more moves up their sleeves.
Boston already has been extremely busy, but Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom and manager Alex Cora both recently insinuated that the squad may not be done making additions. One player that could be an intriguing depth piece for Boston could be journeyman second baseman, Donovan Solano.
Solano played for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022 and shined in a small sample size slashing .284/.339/.385 across 80 games played. The infielder also smashed four home runs to go along with 24 RBIs and 16 doubles.
The 35-year-old began his Major League Baseball career with the Miami Marlins in 2012 and has spent time with the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants since along with the Reds. Solano's best season of his career arguably was the 2020 COVID-shortened 60-game campaign that saw him slash .326/.365/.463 across 54 games played to go along with three home runs and 29 RBIs en route to the lone Silver Slugger award of his career.
Solano may not be the flashiest name left on the market, but he could be a solid depth option for the Red Sox. Boston has a tall task ahead of it in 2023 as it looks to replace Xander Bogaerts. The squad also will be without the services of Trevor Story for the foreseeable future. The Red Sox likely will roll out a combination of Enrique Hernandez, Christian Arroyo, and Adalberto Mondesi in the middle infield when the trio is healthy, but having Solano as an extra bench piece or minor league option certainly wouldn't hurt.
The 35-year-old has played over 100 games just three times in his nine-year MLB career so he likely wouldn't command a large role like free agents Jose Iglesias or Elvis Andrus likely would. Plus, Solano certainly wouldn't cost Boston much. Solano was paid $4.5 million in 2022 and that was the largest contract of his career to date.
Boston has hinted that it may add another infielder and Solano may be the perfect option to give the team more depth as it waits for Story's return. While he likely wouldn't impact the Red Sox's title chances much, inexpensive depth with MLB experience never hurt any team.
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