Free agent outfielder Gregory Polanco is in talks with a team in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, Tenchy Rodriguez and Hector Gomez of Z101 Deportes report (Twitter links).
It’s been a swift decline for the now-30-year-old Polanco, who once ranked among the game’s elite prospects and was seen as a key building block in Pittsburgh. The longtime Pirates outfielder decimated Triple-A pitching while rising through the minor league ranks and eventually drawing praise as the No. 10 and No. 13 prospect in the entire game, respectively, on the 2014 rankings of Baseball America and MLB.com.
While Polanco did have a few solid seasons in the big leagues, including two with 20-plus homers and 10-plus steals (2016 and 2018), he only ever had one season where he was a decidedly well above-average offensive performer (2018). That year’s .254/.340/.499 slash (123 wRC+) feels like a distant memory, as Polanco has limped to a combined .203/.270/.364 batting line in 723 plate appearances since. His once minimal strikeout rate — he fanned at just a 14.6% clip in 2017 — has skyrocketed to 30.2% in the past three seasons.
In fairness to Polanco, injuries have undoubtedly taken their toll on his body and played a role in sapping his production. While he was mostly healthy through the 2017 season, save for a couple of minor hamstring strains, the 2018 campaign marked the beginning of more serious physical troubles. That September, while playing out the final weeks of the best year of his career, Polanco both dislocated his shoulder and sustained a significant bone bruise in his left knee on an awkward slide into second base while legging out a double.
The shoulder injury required surgery and came with a recovery timetable of up to seven months. Polanco missed the first three weeks of the 2019 season but clearly wasn’t right upon being activated. He appeared in just 42 games over the next seven weeks before returning to the injured list with inflammation in that surgically repaired shoulder, and he never made it back to the field that year.
Polanco continued to receive opportunities in Pittsburgh, due in no small part to both that prior prospect pedigree and the fact that he’d inked a five-year, $35MM extension early in the 2016 season. The Bucs had a pair of club options that would’ve covered the 2022 and 2023 seasons, so there was good reason to give Polanco every opportunity to recapture some of his pre-surgery form. That didn’t happen, and Pittsburgh finally released Polanco following a DFA late in the 2021 season. He signed a minor league deal with Toronto on Aug. 31 but didn’t end up playing in the Majors with the Jays; he did, however, post a huge .374/.436/.747 batting line in 101 plate appearances with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, perhaps lending some hope for more productive days ahead.
If Polanco does head to NPB and does manage to rebound, he’s still young enough that a Major League comeback is plenty viable. (He won’t turn 31 until Sept. 14 of next season.) A strong year in NPB could also simply open the door for a raise and/or multi-year deal to remain overseas. At the very least, signing in NPB would lock in a guaranteed 2022 salary for Polanco, which wasn’t likely to happen in Major League Baseball, where he’d presumably have been in line for a non-roster deal with an invite to Spring Training somewhere.
Leg injuries really took the wind out of Polanco’s sails, especially in 2018. He was on a hot streak then slid into second base akwardly, and that seemed to take any momentum he had as a hitter or fielder. He’s a really cool guy too.
One of the big three. McCutchen Marte Polanco
Gregory Polanco looked all but done in MLB then got essentially a change of scenery with Toronto and destroyed AAA pitching. Had the Blue Jays had made the playoffs I think he would’ve made the roster. This would be a big name signing for the NPB and a chance to build his stock back up. I like it.
Gregory unfortunately is all but done in the big leagues. He completely ruined his throwing shoulder on that ugly slide that he took. He can not throw with strength any more. Still is accurate, just nothing on the throws. He still has power but he lacks bat control to adjust to a major league pitch that is thrown. If he guesses right, he still can literally hit the ball out of the stadium still. Just can not catch up to heat pushing 100mph with the bum shoulder. He could hit the lesser pitchers in AAA and I believe he will hit in Japan as well. Can DH too. so his arm will not hurt a team. Wish him the best but his MLB career is done.
I wouldn’t rule out a potential switch to 1B for him. He has the size and bat, and he wouldn’t have to throw
The guy literally never learned how to slide. How many times did he beat a throw to 2nd base by 10 feet only to be tagged out because he popped up off the base like he had never slid before?
Glad for him that he inked his deal but it’s a reminder that not every player is Mookie Betts and sometimes locking in a guarantee pays off.
Snore.
Yes…snore..so why do you bother logging into MLB trade rumors…troll
Your mother gives my nipples butterfly kisses
Oh
Your mother is a nipple on a butterfly
Always enjoyed his enthusiasm. Wish he had been able to figure it out. A season in Japan is better than a non-season that we may be looking at here.
In the history of baseball, exactly zero games have been lost due to a lockout.
In the history of baseball, exactly zero games of the 2022 season have been changed. Of course, that may change in the future or not.
the only response to a lockout for the union is to strike. lockouts lead to strikes lead to lost baseball. let’s hope both sides concede enough to get a new deal done before March
Hopefully he rebounds there and learns to gets that strikeout rate down.
TBH, I thought he was going to be an all-star. Hope he gets it figured out.
What about his brother Polanco Gregory?
What about your brother Imma Idjit
I’m still laughing! Thank you, sir…
C’mon Marlins. Take a flyer and sign him on a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. Back load that with a good few millions guaranteed if he makes the team and incentives.
Japan is always interesting but I’m sure he rather stay close to his family and friends.
They can do better. They can random throw a stone and hit a better player.
They threw that rock already and hit Lewis Brinson.
Why sign an MLC with no guarantees when he can go to the NPB and get a contract and playing time
Wishing him success in Japan and hopefully return in ‘23
I will be following this move. Good guy, but i don’t think he can hold a .700 OPS, even in Japan
Don’t be surprised if he can stay healthy and post a .800+ ops in NPB.
that AAA stint at the end of the year leads to optimism. I’ll be rooting for him, shoulders are tough
I was hoping that ben would pick him up on a minor’s deal, but team has to keep room open for prospects this year.
Bummer. I was hoping the Blue Jays could re-sign him to a minor league deal. I know it was a small sample size in AAA, but he really played well for them at the end of the season.
I was hoping to see him in a Rangers uniform.
Shame..guy started great..never was the same since he slid into second and screwed his shoulder..great team mate great guy…good luck
For all those who are wishing their team took a chance on this guy: over the last 3 seasons, in 199 games played Polanco has been worth -2.8 bWAR. He’s 30 years old. If that’s not a guy that you move on from, who is? He can only play the corners and is terrible at it. He has no value to a MLB team. There are like a hundred Billy McKinneys and other not very good but available guys you could stash at AAA that would be more worth it. This is entirely based on name recognition. There is no case to be made for any team needing him. There just isn’t. So many guys with better stats out their and available.
This is honestly a great idea for him and I hope he tears it up there. Bucs fans were understandably frustrated with him but I never got the sense that he was mailing it in.
That might’ve been the most frustrating part. He was always working hard, doing and saying the right things just not getting results. Rooting for him to reestablish his career, seems like a genuinely good person.
Like many, I thought Polanco was going to be the real deal in his early years here in Pittsburgh. He seemed to have all the tools from the neck on down but while it’s true injuries played a big role in his demise here and that he worked extremely hard to improve, it’s rare to have seen a player at the MLB level who was more clueless on the base paths. Add to this his inability to truly learn how to play an outfield position in a decent manner and seemingly not being able to refine hitting techniques like picking up the spin on the ball and situational hitting…..I guess he made it to the bigs on sheer ability alone. Shame.
You hit in some very key points, and very true ones. I swear that there were times when Polanco played bounces off the Clemente wall as well as anyone has, but so many other times when he might as well have used a ouija board. He struggled with baseball fundamentals: running the bases, or throwing to the right base… but he isn’t at all dumb or indifferent. He was a puzzle, but I hope he puts it all together in Japan or wherever else he goes.
A friend called him “Bambi on ice” in the outfield. He always looked so awkward running after baseballs. And the time he slipped and fell on mildly wet grass against the Cubs for a walk off win at Wrigley….
Probably a good idea. Guaranteed playing time and if he performs will come back to MLB in a year (or two, Freddy Galvis)
Polanco never had protection after McCutchen left in the lineup.His leadership skills are non existent.He needs to get re indoctrinated with a good team and veteran winners.He looked lethargic the last couple yrs and his swing looks terrible and confused.His swing coming up was text book smooth.Stinking thinking or bad health?Hopefully he can put a couple full seasons under his belt with a lot of repetitive baseball movements with all the practice sessions and hrs the Japanese league puts in for game preparation.
Wouldn’t mind seeing Polanco as part of a LF platoon role in Philly. Maybe team him up with Cutch there? Both players will be inexpensive to sign, plus Cutch hit really well vs. LHP in 2021. That would leave some extra cheese available to sign and/or trade for another need; i.e. centerfield.
Lol
So you want a poor fielding LFr who can’t hit and has been BELOW replacement level for 3 seasons? Ok.
I think you’ve been sniffing too much fumunga cheese