Still, in January, the Twins appeared interested in bringing him back. “They told me they maybe would sign me again. I was in the middle of [a group of potential] players, so I have to wait,” Solano said. “The next day, [Carlos] Santana made a deal” with the Twins, ending their interest.
Solano’s not bitter, though. “They know how to run their business,” he said. Besides, he landed in a place and a situation that thrill him.
“I was excited to come back and play in the big leagues. A contender team, too,” Solano said of the San Diego Padres, for whom he has hit .304 in 66 games primarily as a fill-in during third baseman Manny Machado’s hip injury. “I know San Diego wanted to wait and see what happened, like with Minnesota. When they say they want me, I was so excited.”
Solano, who said he regularly remains in touch with Correa, Willi Castro and Jose Miranda, spent a half-hour in front of the Twins dugout Monday catching up with his old friends. And he wasn’t the only one.
Luis Arraez was alongside Solano for nearly as long, hugging and laughingly reprising complicated handshake routines with former teammates.
“I cried when they traded me,” Arraez said of the 2023 deal that sent the Twins’ reigning AL batting champion to Miami for Pablo López and two minor leaguers. “I played my whole career there. I never forget Minnesota. I miss Minnesota. I still have an apartment there.”