Does a Jorge Polanco reunion make sense?
Polanco just had one of the most productive seasons of his career. But was it enough to justify keeping him in Seattle.
According to Spotrac, Jorge Polanco has a $6 million player option for next year. But after having one of the better offensive seasons of his career, it’s likely Polanco tests free agency to search for a contract that guarantees a higher salary over multiple years. If this turns out to be the case, should the Mariners be one of the clubs pursuing the former All-Star this offseason?
Before addressing this issue, let’s consider Polanco’s selling points and potential concerns with bringing him back to the Emerald City, just as we recently did with another pending Mariners free agent Josh Naylor.
Selling points: Polanco’s 132 wRC+ was 24th best among 145 qualified hitters. Not only that, it was his highest wRC+ of any season with 200-plus plate appearances.
Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+) quantifies how a hitter’s total offensive value compares with the league average after adjusting for park effects. League-average is always 100. Therefore, a wRC+ of 150 means a hitter was 50-percent more productive than the average player. An 80 wRC+ would be 20-percent below average.
Minimizing strikeouts played a key role in Polanco’s success. Only 29 qualified hitters had a lower strikeout rate than the Dominican Republic native did. Within this group, only Ketel Marte (.517) and José Ramírez (.503) had a higher SLG than Polanco (.495).
Furthermore, Polanco experienced a 13.7-percent decline in his strikeout rate from the season prior, which was the largest drop in baseball by a significant margin. As you can see below, similar improvements were reflected across his stat line.
A case could be made that Polanco was one of the most improved hitters in 2025. He experienced the eighth biggest rise in AVG, second greatest increase in doubles, and the third highest jump in SLG (.140) - just behind teammate Cal Raleigh (.153).
It’s also worth noting Polanco was extremely productive at T-Mobile Park this season. An impressive accomplishment considering Seattle’s home field is considered the most difficult venue to hit in.
Polanco’s home SLG is particularly noteworthy considering it’s the second highest ever recorded in a season by a player with 200-plus plate appearances at T-Mobile Park.
Highest SLG at T-Mobile Park (200 PA min)
Bret Boone (2001) - .580
Jorge Polanco (2025) - .564
Edgar Martínez (2000) - .563
Cal Raleigh (2025) - .557
Luke Raley (2024) - .557
Raúl Ibañez (2006) - .553
Adam Lind (2016) - .549
Russell Branyan (2009) - .548
Julio Rodríguez (2022) - .548
Edgar Martínez (2002) - .545
An important factor driving Polanco’s SLG was the 20 doubles he produced at home, which put him in exclusive company. The only other players with 20-plus two-baggers in a season at T-Mobile Park are Yuniesky Betancourt, José López, John Olerud, Raúl Ibañez, Kendrys Morales, and Kyle Seager.
Potential concerns: We’ve already noted Polanco was dramatically better this year. Considering he’s just one year removed from the least productive season of his career, what is your comfort level regarding the 32-year-old performing at-or-near the same level in 2026?
Consider this, the frequency at which Polanco struck out had steadily climbed between 2019 and 2024. And then this year, it was close to a career-low. Which way does his strikeout rate go in 2026?
We also should consider Polanco’s sudden and dramatic uptick in productivity in Seattle this year.
When I compared his home and away splits from the last two seasons, Polanco’s improvement from one year to the next on the road was relatively modest compared to the extreme change at T-Mobile Park. What’s the likelihood this happens again?
Another area of concern is Polanco’s glove work. As has been the case in recent seasons, Fielding Run Value (FRV) suggests his defense was well-below average this year. FRV is Statcast’s overall metric for capturing a player’s measurable defensive performance. Zero is always average.
Polanco’s Recent FRV
2021 (minus-3) / 971 innings
2022 (minus-6) / 833 innings
2023 (minus-4) / 468 innings
2024 (minus-8) / 925 innings
2025 (minus-4) / 287 innings
At first glance, Polanco’s minus-4 FRV this year may seem like an improvement over 2024. But it’s important to note the difference in innings played. In 2025, he spent less than a third of the time in the field he did in the season prior. Since FRV is a cumulative metric, a minus-4 FRV is essentially worse.
A third potential cause for unease is Polanco’s injury history and its effect on the veteran infielder’s availability. Dating back to the beginning of the 2021 season, he’s averaged 116 games annually and has appeared in 120 contests just twice.
Polanco Games Played (2021-25)
2021 (152)
2022 (104)
2023 (80)
2024 (118)
2025 (138)
After landing on the Injured List at least once each season between 2022 and 2024, Polanco avoided an IL stint this year. However, he dealt with challenges related to offseason knee surgery. The switch-hitter also suffered a side injury, which prevented him from taking right-handed swings in games for about five weeks in April and May.
Recent Polanco IL Reasons (and Days Lost)
2022 - Lower back tightness (15 days)
2022 - Left knee inflammation (36 days)
2023 - Left knee inflammation (25 days)
2023 - Left hamstring strain (14 days)
2023 - Left hamstring strain (49 days)
2024 - Right hamstring strain (28 days)
2025 - No time on IL
It’s impossible to predict anyone’s future. But banking on a player with an extensive injury history, who’ll be entering his age-32 season, could be viewed as a risky move.
Thoughts: At this stage of his career, Polanco may be best suited to be a club’s primary designated hitter and occasional second baseman. Perhaps he could also cover a limited number of innings at each corner infield spot.
Taking this approach would help keep Polanco healthy and available. But does a player who may require his workload this closely managed worth a multi-year deal from the Mariners perspective? Especially when we factor in his unusually good, and probably unrepeatable, productivity at home this year?
No matter what happens this winter, one thing will always remain true about Polanco. His comeback campaign was one of the many good news stories we witnessed during a magical Mariners season.
And who will ever forget his walk-off single in the deciding game of the American League Division Series.
My Oh My…
Money better spent elsewhere, given the potential downside to productivity and his age and health. That said, the 2025 season would not have been magical without him.
I don’t think they’ll bring him back, the cost will be double to triple of last year? I guess the question is when he chooses free agency, do they give him a qualifying offer? That’s gotta be what 22mil?