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Mariners sign veteran offense-first infielder (but should’ve aimed higher)

Eric Cole
Eric Cole

SODO MOJO

San Diego Padres v Arizona Diamondbacks / Norm Hall/GettyImages

At the top of the Seattle Mariners' offseason shopping list has been more offense for a while now. While there have been a number of free agents that could have helped them, there has been little in the way of progress towards getting the offense in shape so far. While some of that may be because guys weren't the right fit, the overarching reason seems to be that the Mariners simply don't have much payroll room to work with.

This is obviously disappointing, as the Mariners should absolutely be trying to go for it this offseason. The Astros look vulnerable after losing Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Yusei Kikuchi, among others, and the Rangers are coming off a truly disappointing offseason. With the Mariners' pitching staff, even a passable offense would probably be enough to make a run at the top of the AL West.

While Monday didn't bring a marquee signing of a bat, it did bring an interesting one at least, as the Mariners signed Donovan Solano to a one-year deal.

Mariners sign Donovan Solano in hope that he can give Seattle's offense a boost

While Solano isn't going to be a guy who is likely to carry an offense for any appreciable length of time, he is coming off a pretty good 2024 season in San Diego where he slashed .286/.343/.417 in 309 plate appearances. That isn't massive offensive output by any stretch of the imagination and his eight homers last season is a career high, but the guy can kinda just flat-out hit.

For the Mariners, that is at least a start. Solano's $3.5 million price tag is a bit of a bargain given that Solano is pretty much a lock to hit .280ish next season. However, if this is the only move that Seattle makes this offseason to bolster their lineup, every single Mariners fan should have a problem with that.

Adding Solano isn't a bad move. In fact, he is a great role player on a contending team. However, the Mariners offense ranked 21st in runs scored last year. Solano might drive in a few runs here and there, but he is a limited player and a 37-year-old player at that. Seattle needs to get their act together and figure out a way to add some sort of impact bat. Otherwise, this signing isn't going to do much of anything.

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Eric Cole

Eric Cole

I started my career writing about baseball covering the Atlanta Braves for SB Nation's Talking Chop back in 2015 which has since been renamed Battery Power. After years of writing for those fine folks, I made the decision to take over as Site Expert at House That Hank Built before becoming a full-time MLB Staff Writer for FanSided in 2023. Along the way, I have been a guest on multiple ESPN radio affiliates as well as 680 The Fan and 92.9 The Game to discuss Braves baseball and especially Braves prospects and was a long-time host on the Battery Power podcast. These days, I continue to write about the Braves as well as covering the Astros, Padres, and Angels with particular expertise with minor league coverage, the MLB Draft, and bashing Anthony Rendon when possible. When I am not writing about or talking about baseball (which is seldom), I am an avid baseball card collector (Maddux and Soroka being my primary personal collections) and I also collect shark teeth. All other sports are mostly dead to me as my Bills have broken my heart too many times.