Solano arrives at Mariners camp, reunites with franchise legend

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Donovan Solano walked into a clubhouse on Saturday where he was a stranger to mostly everyone, but there was at least one familiar face to the Mariners’ new infielder.

It’s been 10 long years since they were teammates in Miami in 2015, but Ichiro Suzuki welcomed Solano to his new digs as if no time had passed.

“He's unbelievable,” Solano said. “How he played, how he loved the game, and how he trained his body. ... I love [playing] that way, because no matter what, you got to put in your 100%. With crowds, without crowds, with friends or no friends. That’d be me.”

Suzuki is obviously not on the Mariners’ roster, but he’s in camp as a roving coach and mentor every day in his role as a special assistant to the chairman. It’s at this time of year when it feels like he’s part of the team, even if it’s been almost six years since he retired.

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Solano intends to channel a comparable work ethic as he gets up to speed, having arrived four days behind schedule due to visa issues. The Colombia native probably won’t be installed in a Cactus League game until next week.

“He's a professional, he’s a veteran guy,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “He knows what it takes.”

Suzuki isn’t the only figure from that 2015 Marlins team that Solano is being reacquainted with, as the veteran will also get the chance to work again with infield coach Perry Hill, who held the same role in Miami back then. At the time, Solano was a young second baseman trying to prove himself.

In Seattle, he’ll mostly be used at first base in a timeshare with Luke Raley, though how the Mariners deploy their infield is one of the prominent intrigues in the early stages of spring. Solano will also be in the mix for reps at third base and designated hitter, but isn’t expected to contribute at second base.

Solano didn’t begin playing first base until 2022, when he was an injury fill-in for Joey Votto and Mike Moustakas in Cincinnati. He made 18 starts there last year in San Diego and has made 107 throughout his 11-year career.

Above all, the Mariners signed Solano for his bat. The 37-year-old agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract on Jan. 13 that includes $1 million in performance incentives. The Mariners are his fifth team in the past five seasons -- after the Padres (2024), Twins (2023), Reds (2022) and Giants (2021) -- and seventh overall, having played with the Marlins (2012-15) and Yankees (2016), too.

Solano slashed .286/.343/.417 (.760 OPS) in 309 plate appearances last season, with 35 RBIs and a career-high eight homers, good for 0.8 wins above replacement (per FanGraphs) and a 118 wRC+ (league average is 100). He carried a 21% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate, and for his career those figures are 18.9% and 6.4%, respectively.

Yet last year’s opportunity with the playoff-bound Padres took a while to manifest, as Solano didn’t receive a contract offer until mid-April -- and even then, it was a Minor League deal. Solano began his season in extended Spring Training, then after 12 games with Triple-A El Paso, he was promoted to the Majors on May 5 and forced his way into more playing time after hitting .410 with a 1.027 OPS in 45 plate appearances in May.

The 2024 season underscored what the Mariners believed when signing him -- that despite not really hitting his stride until his 30s, there’s still more in the tank.

“As a veteran, you know how your body works, how they pitch to you,” Solano said. “You perform better. You know yourself and what your strengths and weaknesses are. ... And that's why maybe my age helps make me get better, and I can finish my career at this level.”

Solano also arrived with a reputation for being a great teammate, and the Mariners were pointedly looking to add good chemistry and leadership this winter.

“I love that,” Solano said. “I think maybe after retirement, I think that's going to be my goal, to help people. ... When I see young [players] with a lot of talents, but they don't know how to deal with a lot of things. So I love that. I'd love to be an example for everything, because you see my numbers, how I can turn to [improved] numbers. So I think it's part of me, and I'm ready for it.”