Infielder Jorge Polanco is now a free agent, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman says Polanco is turning down an $8MM mutual option but Polanco actually converted that to a $6MM player option during the season. Regardless of the details, the larger point is that Polanco is heading back to the open market, collecting a $750K buyout on his way out the door.
The decision is not a surprise. Polanco is coming off a tremendous bounceback season. He stepped to the plate 524 times and hit 26 home runs. His .265/.326/.495 batting line translated to a 132 wRC+, his best offensive performance over a full season in his career.
It wasn’t a perfect season. Ongoing knee problems kept him mostly in the designated hitter spot, though he appeared to get healthier as the year wore on. He made just 34 starts at second base but most of those were after the All-Star break, including 15 in September.
He undoubtedly has more earning power now than he did a year ago, despite being a year older. The aforementioned knee problems limited him to just 118 games with a rough .213/.296/.355 slash line and 93 wRC+. He underwent knee surgery in October. Despite that poor showing and uncertain health status, the Mariners still re-signed him to a one-year deal with a $7.75MM guarantee. That came in the form of a $7MM salary plus a $750K buyout on an $8MM mutual option. Polanco could convert that to a $6MM player option with 450 plate appearances, which he easily topped.
His better platform season and improved health outlook should line him up for a better deal, likely with multiple years, so turning down one year and $6MM is an easy call. The Mariners have interest in bringing him back but he will have other suitors as well and Seattle may be prioritizing a Josh Naylor reunion.
Photo courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Imagn Images
Hope the Mariners can resign him.
Go get em’ Yankees, don’t be gun shy with him. He’s great.
After a really good season and great playoff performance, Polanco is definitely looking to cash in.
Yeah and he will get a good deal.
I’d love a Twins reunion, but snowball’s chance in HELL with Pohlad’s ownership.
Not surprised. He can easily triple that salary.
24 million a year for Polanco? I really do not see that.
I meant the $6M option.
No you didn’t. It says he turned down an $8 million down option.
No, that’s false. Re-read it. It was an $8M Mutual option but it reverted to a $6M Player Option during the season. So he turned down a $6M PO.
Really? Easily? You believe that Polanco is going to get $24 million per year? Naylor May not even get that. No way. I hope he comes back to the M’s but at not even close to that price per year.
I don’t think reading comprehension is your strength.
Really? That is how you try and back out of this by degrading someone else? Sad. Speak for yourself on your comment . It states that he turned down an $8 million player option. Come on.
Read it again, his 8M option converted to a 6M option based on plate appearances.
So he turned down 6M and will easily sign for 18M+ total on his next deal.
That’s triple.
I’d be surprised if he got a multi year deal, and more than 12 to 14 per. His skills in the field aren’t that great either. Primary DH is my guess.
” Heyman says Polanco is turning down an $8MM mutual option but Polanco actually converted that to a $6MM player option during the season.”
There you are. It is pretty clear.
Big Red- Read it again. Beer Can is right. The $8M vesting option evolved into a $6M player option.
No. It. Doesn’t. Writing that in small bits so that you can digest it. The article makes VERY CLEAR that the option was changed during the season to $6 million. VERY CLEAR. It doesn’t matter what it once was. Got it?
I think he meant 18 million. Three times the 6 million player option.
Or three times the 8m total. Could absolutely see 2/24 for him.
I’m happy for Polanco that he’s rejuvenated his value but I would be a little worried about spending a ton on money on him. If his hitting falters again, he provides nothing else. Maybe a 2-yr, 30 million deal or something.
That sounds a lot like the Mitch Garver deal. It didn’t go well.
Mitch Garver is way older and has always been way less consistent throughout his career. Polanco, even when he’s been injured, has almost always posted above average or better batting lines.
Roughly the same age when the deals were (hypothetically) signed. Garver is two years older, but he signed his deal two years ago so……….
It’s the knee problem that would concern me.
Given that the Mariners are essentially handing Cole Young the starting 2B gig and will probably try out a couple of up-and-coming prospects at 3B, Polanco could DH most days and play 2B/3B part time like he did this year. That usgae kept him the healthiest he’s been in years and he performed well. It’s hard to replace a hitter who just racked up a 134 wRC+, let alone one for a reasonable contract, and the Mariners need a quality offense if they want to keep winning the west and making deep playoff runs. Ideally they simply sign Naylor to whatever bonkers deal he demands and then figure the other stuff out, but I think there’s going to be a bidding war for him and the Mariners have several soft spots to fill on the roster so it won’t be that simple. Running it back with Polanco might be a good strategy, and his injury history/risk is going to be baked into his future contract so it’s an almost definite that he’ll sign for significantly less than a lot of comparable hitters on the market.
He’s about the most obvious free agent who will fall off a cliff next season, like Santander this past year. Polanco is normally injured a lot. We’ve seen it again and again, with these guys having their best season ever when their contracts are up.
That is such a true statement. Makes you wonder why guys can rachet up performance in their contract years -.must mean they’re not going all out until its time to get the bag again.
We know why they ratchet it up in a contract year. Same reason they get “hurt” after they sign.
To be fair, when he had his crappy season last year he was also playing for a contract then.
Agreed. Contract year motivation entering age 33 season (and no stranger to IL). Exact guys smart FOs do not pursue.
Polanco was in a contract year last year and put up his worst season in his career
I think that’s roughly what he get. I think he gets 2-3 years from someone despite obvious concerns about his health and likely regression.
He’s more of a DH now than an infielder, with only 43 of 138 games in the field in 2025.
To be fair, if he was healthy all year, he would have gotten a lot more time in the field. However, that probably says more about the sad state of the M’s with regard to second basemen in recent years.
I think he’ll get 14 million from somebody. Hopefully the Braves if he can still play shortstop.
He couldn’t play 2B last year, doubt he can play SS.
Braves should be rebuilding, not spending money on mostly DH.
Last action at SS was six games in 2022.
He’s a statue, wherever he plays. Laughable that anyone would even consider him as a SS option, much less anywhere else on the field.
He cant play SS anymore. He hasn’t played it since 2022 and isnt all that good during the little time he had at 2nd and 3rd.
When it come to SS, the Braves dont have many options. The Braves aren’t going to go get Bichette and that’s probably for the best anyway. His days at short are numbered and that’s me going light.
We are either going to have to sign Kim or maybe we could trade for Donovan, but Donovan is getting a lot of attention. Otherwise it looks like Nick Allen is our guy.
Yeah, after letting Dansby walk the Braves probably figured they’d have more long-term options than what emerged, and in truth they had patched it together pretty decently until recently. Now they’re scrambling a bit as the pool of good shortstops in the league has diminished. Plenty of teams are making compromises at the position (just like CF) having to decide whether to lean toward defense or offense since few players can be league average at both anymore.
I agree with you; Bo Bichette would be a huge mistake for anyone who values the importance of defense at SS. I very much doubt the Braves would be foolish enough to go in that direction, especially given the cost.
Good write up. Compromising at short could be the way to go. I might even see Donovan as the best of the compromises. Thats really not a slam on Donovan. He’s a passable defender for the position. We would just be using him a little bit outside his strength. The ideal roll for him is a super utility and some platoon work.
It does indeed seem the Braves would have been better off extending Swanson, maybe even more than Freeman, in hind sight of course. I was one of those that thought there would be greater options or even a solution before we got here. Oops.
How about trade for JP Crawford from the M’s since they have guys at the farm who can conceivably cover SS ?
Huh..expiring contract almost 30. Interesting idea.
I think Brandon Lowe of the Rays may be available. He is healthier than Polanco. He is signed for $11.5M for one season. That might provide a bridge to Cole Young or Colt Emerson at 2B.
“Healthier than Polanco” LOL.
@ Jared Kelenic’s Beer can— Stop degrading people. I agree with you Ball Four. lowe would be a good option. I would rather see a Brendan Donovan/Steven Kwan type of hitter who has a very low strike out rate, puts the ball in play ,and could lead, off but Lowe would help.
How am I degrading people? You clearly didn’t read the article, and when you got called out you threw your little toddler fit like it’s some personal attack when I point it out. It’s also very laughable that Ball Four said Lowe is healthier than Polanco because it’s simply not true. He’s literally just as banged up all the time, and the only difference between the two is that Lowe has chronic back issues while Polanco has chronic leg issues.
Yep! He is a healthier version of Polanco. The Rays will likely unload him and their top reliever Pete Fairbanks. The Mariners should be interested in both.
Are you illiterate? It says the 8 million team option converted to a $6 million player option, which he turned down. Reading is fundamental. Especially if you are going to snap at people, you should try to be correct. Big Red Knob.
I didn’t snap at anyone and again with the degrading. Just bad people. I just disagreed. He is not getting $24 million a year or $18 million a year in my opinion.
If the Mariners roll it back without Polanco, then they definitely have to address some high contact in RF. Williamson would be fine at 3B because of his GG caliber defense, but the Blue Jays exposed the easy outs batting 6-9 in the order. Re-signing Josh Naylor is job 1, but that only solidifies C, 1B, SS (?), LF, and CF. I’d try to swing a deal with a contender like the Guardians to get Kwan and Bo Naylor for Harry Ford and a couple of pitchers. Solve RF and backup C in one fell swoop. The Rays rumblings about Brandon Lowe are interesting, but is he that much of an upgrade to Cole Young?
Agree with you Zip. All good moves that would help. Brendan Donovan would help as well but we must sign Naylor. Just don’t have any other good options at 1B.
Cleveland isn’t weakening itself at two positions to add more pitchers, an area of clear strength. It would help to become informed about and respect other teams’ needs before floating such proposals.
It has been mentioned quite a bit that the Guardians may trade Kwan. I am sure a ton of teams would love to have him but Why would they trade him? He is under club control through 2027. is it the arbitration numbers?
It’s all speculation. It’s what always happens with the national press: A Cleveland player starts to make some money, so the writers think he’s on the way out the door, so they start rumors that sound plausible to the general public. The problem is that the “logic” of it all falls apart when you start looking at the Cleveland team and the potential return. Why would a contending Cleveland team weaken itself at an already unsteady position to acquire assets that wouldn’t help them in 2026? And why would teams trade young, talented major league ready outfielders to Cleveland in return for an increasingly expensive, somewhat erratic offensive player who is 2 years away from free agency? It makes no sense from any point of view unless Cleveland is absolutely blown away and what team is dumb enough to do that?
Hey, Cleveland is always going to pick up the phone and listen; it would be stupid not to do so. But to think any team is going to overwhelm us with an offer is just not realistic.
The part I don’t get on transactions like this, he declined the option and gets $750k buyout? You would think if he opts out there is no buyout
It’s usually because the player wants a little bit more money if he’s going to only end up with a one-year deal. If the option gets picked up then he makes a little less per year over a 2-year deal, but if it turns out to be a one-year deal, he gets a little bit of a sweetener.
See you later Jorge, couple good weeks total this years, the rest you sucked. Bring the kids from the farm up.
Perfect fit in Milwaukee until Made is ready.
I hear the Twins need everything.
Polanco is a clutch hitter, so if he signs elsewhere, don’t be surprised if he is traded back to M’s before the trade deadline.
Harold Reynolds on Hot Stove just made an interesting FA for the Ms to sign. Louis Arreaz and have him play 2nd. Like the contact hitter is his arm strong enough for 3rd?
I want no part in that. Seattle’s home park is murder against contact-only hitters, plus Arraez plays terrible defense and doesn’t run the bases well at all.
I disagree that the park is murder on contact hitters. Down both lines and the gaps are great. If a hitter can hit those spots they are doubles and for a fast runner some can be triples. With the OF being bigger this is better than many parks. Also the bloop hits will drop more readily.
I think most of the contact hitters we have brought in they go away from what got them there. Trying too hard to place the ball and not just drive it to the holes. We need to look at players that have hit well at TMobile. Not only homers but singles and doubles. A guy like Naylor who had good stats here before we got him.
Twins fans still miss Jorge Polanco.
Mariners Legend Jorge Polanco