Polanco Enters Contract Year

Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press takes a look at the Placido Polanco situation.  The Tigers second baseman is entering the last year of a four-year deal, and GM Dave Dombrowski does not seem in a hurry to lock up the 33 year-old.  Morosi says much remains to be seen – Polanco’s ’09 performance, the Tigers’ projected payroll, and the possible emergence of second base prospects.

Polanco hit .307/.350/.417 in 629 plate appearances last year while playing excellent defense.  He earned $4.6MM; FanGraphs valued him at $10MM more than that.  Other prominent free agent second basemen for the 2009-10 offseason: Mark DeRosa, Felipe Lopez, Brian Roberts, and Freddy Sanchez.