Twins Sign Former Silver Slugger Winner to Major-League Deal

Spring Training is in full swing as teams begin to ramp up for the season, but some clubs are still hunting for potential bargains on the free-agent market.

The Minnesota Twins may have found one in former Silver Slugger winner Donovan Solano, who agreed to a one-year major-league deal with the team on Tuesday.

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Assuming he passes his physical, the 35-year-old Solano is getting a guaranteed spot on Minnesota's big-league roster after batting .284/.339/.385 with 4 home runs and 24 RBIs for the Cincinnati Reds last year. The 2020 Silver Slugger can also play multiple positions, as he proved by manning first base, second base, and third base in 2022.

Solano is light on power with just 27 home runs and a .374 slugging percentage in 686 career games, but he's batted an impressive .301 with a .350 on-base percentage over the last four seasons combined. There's certainly some value in that as well as his defensive versatility, making him a solid pickup so late in the offseason.

Time will tell what kind of role he's able to carve out on the Twins -- his fifth team in 10 seasons. Minnesota needs considerable help after finishing six games below .500 and 14 games out of first place last year, so every incremental upgrade matters in what projects to be a tight race for the AL Central.