Hey Everyone,

Yesterday I made a case for Addison Reed turning things around in 2019. Today I want to look at recently non-tendered free agent Yangervis Solarte and how he could fit nicely with the 2019 Minnesota Twins.

Contract Details (according to spotrac.com)

2017 Salary: $4,000,000

2018 Dead Money (Paid by the Blue Jays): $750,000

2019 Projected Salary (My prediction): $3,550,000-$6,000,000

Before we start, when researching Solarte's history I found a nice little piece of information. Solarte was signed out of Venezuela as an 18 yr old second baseman by the Twins in 2005 for a $500,000 signing bonus and played for New Britain (AA) and Fort Myers (High A) as recently as 2011. Who says he can't fulfill that Twin Cities destiny in 2019?

Fielding Value:

Yangervis Solarte has spent time with 5 organizations since 2005 and has shown the ability to not only produce at the plate but he has also picked up the most valuable aspect a player in the field can have in modern baseball. Versatility and flexibility. Over his career Solarte has played 42 games at 1B, 168 at 2B, 403 at 3B, 43 at SS, and 7 in LF. Sounds like a utility tool someone has who has been a target for many since day one of the off-season. That person of course being Marwin Gonzalez (For comparison Gonzalez has had a longer career but he has 191 games at 1B, 110 at 2B, 93 at 3B, 291 at SS, 157 in LF, 3 in CF, and 4 in RF). Some huge holes the Twins have at this point are a backup 3B, Middle infield, and uncertainty at 1B. Solarte seems like a perfect fit. If Sano fails to perform at 3B you can put Solarte in his place and move Sano to first. What if CJ Cron does his best Logan Morrison impression? Solarte can fill in at 1B with Austin or Sano could move to first and Solarte can take over at 3B or Sano could DH, Austin could play 1B, and Solarte can play 3B or.....the combinations are endless. But wait we already have Ehire Adrianza so why do we need Yangervis Solarte? It's a fact that at this point, the question marks are endless on this team, especially in the infield and insurance is going to be key in 2019 until Rocco Baldelli and his staff figure out what they have in the starting lineup we end up with in Minnesota. Adrianza can only fill in for one struggling player at a time so like a good neighbor, Solarte is there! In all seriousness, I hope Sano, Austin, Cron, Polanco, and whoever ends up being the opening day 2B/SS perform and have no problems, but is it a realistic dream at this point? It's a 162 game season and players like Solarte are going to be more valuable than people know when the going gets tough, and back to back to back games pile up.

The Bat:

As with any player in the MLB, Solarte has to be able to hit a bit to hold a roster spot no matter how good and flexible his glove is. Well I would make the argument that Solarte can handle himself in the batters box more than people realize. Solarte spent 2018 in Toronto and his numbers didn't translate from San Diego the way he was hoping they would. Before 2018 Solarte owned a .268 BA, 57 HR (14.25 per year), and a .328 OBP over a 4 year career spent in NYY and SD. Then 2018 happened, .226 BA, 17 HR (Bright Spot), and a .277 OBP. In fact his 2018 single season averages across the board dropped in a pretty noticeable fashion. Is this the Yangervis Solarte the league should get comfortbale with? I don't believe so. Everyone in that Toronto lineup experienced a slump in their numbers in 2018 and I'm not sure if it was a coaching issue, the stadium dimensions, or just a lack of interest because of a lost season but it affected Solarte and that's the important point. Obviously, he can benefit greatly from a change of scenery. Toronto didn't work out numbers wise so they cut bait with him and the Twins should take advantage of this. If Solarte can get back to a .260 BA, 15 HR, and an OBP of around .310 he will be very useful to this roster. If we look at Eduardo Escobar's most recent years, minus the colossal 2018 season, that is around what he put on the board consistently. This may be our chance to acquire another Escobar in the form of Solarte and sneak it by the entire market as I have yet to see any interest in Solarte.

Contract Predictions:

So what will it take to acquire Solarte's services? Eduardo Escobar recently signed a 3 yr/ $21 Million deal and Marwin Gonzalez seems due for a 3-4 yr deal worth around $13-$17 Million a year. After running a few comparisons across the league for utility players with Solarte's numbers I would say that we could get him for around $4,500,000. That would be my starting offer and I would probably walk away at $6,000,000. This would be a great deal for the Twins. Solarte is 31 and still has potential in the tank which is rare for a guy at his age. The cost effectiveness would be off the charts if you look at how much Gonzalez is projected to make (granted he is the better player). For a few points less on the BA and OBP out of a utility bat, a $8-$10 million savings compared to Gonzalez salary would be amazing. These are the kind of deals that make a good team great. You have to stretch every dollar in the MLB today and Solarte is the perfect match for this mindset.

Yangervis Solarte needs to be looked at by our front office. He fills more needs than one and would share a huge load that is currently solely on Ehire Adrianza's shoulders. Minnesota is the perfect place for him to find that success he had in San Diego, again.

PS: Watch the guy play. He loves this game and it shows. His passion is contagious and I firmly believe he will become a fan favorite as well.

Thanks for your time reading. Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts.