Atlanta Braves add potential bench depth with journeyman Yangervis Solarte
As we wait for a big transaction, Atlanta Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos passed the time with a small one on Wednesday, adding a player with a history of moderate success.
The Atlanta Braves quickly got back down to business on Wednesday, signing 32-year-old Venezuelan, Yangervis Solarte, to a one-year minor-league contract that comes with an invite to Spring Training.
Just like Charlie Culberson‘s deal signed in December, the switch-hitting Solarte will earn $1 million in 2020 salary if he makes the team this Spring.
Obviously this addition isn’t the move we’ve all been waiting for, but as Spring Training quickly approaches, even the smaller and less exciting transactions will be necessary in the coming weeks.
Solarte is simply a depth piece that can potentially provide rest for the team’s regular infielders as well as at-bats off the bench, much like Culberson and a few others have done in recent seasons.
Once upon a time…
Signed by the Twins back in 2005 as a 17-year-old, Solarte wasn’t much of a prospect due to too much restlessness at the plate and frequent injuries, but his versatility has always been his calling card.
After six seasons developing with the Twins and a stretch in the Rangers organization, Solarte’s major league debut came at the seasoned age of 26 with the Yankees in 2014, where he kicked off a strong rookie campaign, primarily playing third base and even hitting over .300 well into May of that season.
His 75-game performance (.254 AVG / 104 OPS+) with the Bombers allowed the Yankees to include him in a July trade-package that season with the Padres, sending Solarte and another player to San Diego in exchange for a more established player at third, in Chase Headley.
Two seasons later he posted his best season with the Padres, slashing .286/.341/.467 with 15 home runs, 71 RBI and strong defense at the hot corner (depending on which metric you go by: 1.3 Def / -0.5 UZR).
That 2016 season would stand as his most productive, in terms of WAR, as Solarte totaled 2.5 fWAR in 109 games with the Padres, though his performance quickly regressed in the following seasons.
Another full 2017 campaign with the Padres was both Solarte’s final season in San Diego and his last year with above replacement-level production (0.8 WAR); though, in the winter leading up to the 2018 season, Blue Jays’ GM Ross Atkins took an interest in Solarte’s defensive versatility and traded for the then-30-year-old in exchange for a couple of prospects.
Initially acquired to help fill Toronto’s bench, Solarte quickly became the Blue Jays’ starting third baseman, filling in for Josh Donaldson and his ailing left calf, while also going viral that season with an eight-hit and 7 RBI performance during a day/night doubleheader versus the Indians (check it out!).
The utility infielder wound up playing in 122 games in 2018 and almost matched his career-high homer total from the season prior with 17 long balls, though he only hit a measly .226 while regressing rather sharply on defense (-7.5 Def / -6.3 UZR).
The Blue Jays passed on tendering Solarte a contract after that 2018 season, but he hooked up with the Giants just 3 months later and earned a shot to make the major league team in the Spring of 2019, which he succeeded in doing. Unfortunately, his time with the team was short-lived: after hitting just .205 in his first 78 plate appearances, San Francisco released him two months into the season.
Solarte was able to land yet another gig last year, this time with the Marlins in June, who were on the prowl for some affordable depth, but it never amounted to anything as he failed to reach the majors again in 2019.
As you can see, several years ago Solarte perhaps looked like a player with the potential to become rather successful in the majors, and was just that from 2014-16. But he just hasn’t been able to put it all together as a big league player.
Fortunately for the Braves, they’ve recently had a nice run with players like Solarte, as guys like Charlie Culberson, and even Matt Joyce and Adeiny Hechavarria last season, have worked out quite nicely.
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This signing isn’t going to impact the Braves’ chances for a World Series in 2020 (you never know?), but given the team hasn’t done much in terms of filling out the bench yet, Solarte is a decent start to what should be an active several weeks going forward.