Twins newcomer Donovan Solano shows commitment by skipping World Baseball Classic

FORT MYERS, Fla. — On his first day as a Twin, Donovan Solano talked about how much he wants to fit in and make an impact on his new team.

He didn't really need to, though. His action already had made that clear.

Solano was supposed to be one of the most experienced players on the Colombian National Team in next month's World Baseball Classic, but he withdrew in order to focus on his new job and new team.

"I know it's going to hurt. I'm proud to represent my country," said Solano, who went 3-for-14 as the shortstop and leadoff hitter for Team Colombia in the 2017 WBC. "I want everybody in the country, all the fans in Colombia, to understand this. It hurts, but at the same time, it's better for me and this organization."

The Twins organization believes it got better with the addition of Solano, who last year posted a .770 OPS against left-handed pitching. He can play any infield position, but the Twins were clearly intrigued by his ability to play first base, given that Joey Gallo and Alex Kirilloff, their other options at the position, both bat lefthanded.

"A lot has been made of our preponderance of a lot of lefthanded bats. We kept an eye through the offseason on how to potentially deepen our bench," said Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations. "He's played some first, played it last year and played it well, so that adds another wrinkle to the group we have."

Falvey contacted Solano's agent early in free agency, and the sides stayed in contact as the former Marlin, Yankee, Giant and Red sought a bigger contract. When camps opened this week, he chose the Twins' one-year offer for a reported $2 million.

The money wasn't the only incentive, Solano said. Fellow Colombian Gio Urshela described his season at Target Field in glowing terms, and Solano said he believes that "this is a team that wants to compete. This is a team that's thinking about winning a championship. So I want that, too."

Kenta Maeda is the Twins' Opening Day starter this year — for the Grapefruit League season, anyway. Rocco Baldelli announced that Maeda, who last pitched to an opposing lineup on Aug. 21, 2021, shortly before undergoing Tommy John elbow-ligament surgery, will pitch the first inning against Tampa Bay in the Twins' opener at Hammond Stadium on Saturday.

But this year's exhibition schedule is complicated by the fact that the Twins also will play a split-squad game at the same time in Sarasota against the Orioles. Louie Varland will start that game, a scheduling necessity caused by the uneven number (15) of teams who train in Florida.

"It's probably not ideal, but we'll figure it out. The impact is actually more [difficult] on Day 2," Falvey said. "Rarely do you have veteran players [take part] in back-to-back games right out of the chute. So it isn't the issue of getting two games figured out, it's who plays the next day."

Especially since that second-day game takes place more than two hours away, against the Phillies in Clearwater. Joe Ryan is scheduled to start that one, but don't expect many other veterans to be asked to make that long trip.