HOUSTON — Justin Hollander sat in the dugout of Daikin Park on Friday afternoon, looking out at the Mariners infielders going through their daily pregame drills under the supervision of Perry Hill.
As Jorge Polanco fielded ground balls and fired them to first base, preparing for his start at second base later that evening, Hollander was reminded of a chilling thought that had passed through his mind more than once this season.
Could you imagine if Polanco was playing for the Astros right now?
“I have expressed that thought a couple different times this year,” said the Mariners general manager. “I would be really despondent right now if we had traded for Polo going into the 2024 season, watched him battle injuries and really fight through the toughest year of his career and then watch him bounce back like this for the Astros. This year would have been devastating for us in the front office.”
The Mariners likely wouldn’t have come into the series tied with the Astros for first place in the American League West if Polanco hadn’t decided to come back to Seattle for a second chance as a free agent, eschewing a contract offer from the Astros.
“He had a great April and then hit a little speed bump in May, and he’s had an awesome second half,” Hollander said. “He’s just been a huge part of what we’ve done.”
Indeed, Polanco’s April was ridiculous considering he was limited to batting left-handed due to an oblique strain and still working his way back from offseason knee surgery.
He posted a .384/.418/.808 slash line with four doubles, nine homers and 25 RBI in 22 games in that first month. The regression hit hard in May when he posted a .139/.205/.208 slash line with two doubles, a homer and five RBI in 23 games. His June was only marginally better with a .222/.286/.296 slash line with three doubles, a homer and eight RBI. But he slowly started to work his way back in July. Since the All-Star break, he’s posted a .282/.350/.519 slash line with 16 doubles, nine homers, 29 RBI, 20 walks and 35 strikeouts in 53 games.
“This is the version of Polo we thought we were going to get last year,” Hollander said.
The Mariners gave up four players to get Polanco from the Twins in a trade. But a chronic knee issue never allowed him to feel healthy on the field and led to other soft tissue problems with his hamstring. He played in 118 games in 2024, posting a .213/.296/.355 slash line with 11 doubles, 16 homers, 45 RBI, 46 walks and 137 strikeouts. It was the worst season of his career physically and statistically.
While the Mariners knew they had needs in their infield, they wisely decided to decline a $12 million club option for the 2025 season, making Polanco a free agent.
As the offseason started to progress, the Mariners struggled to sign free agents. Operating under a tight budget and shopping in a limited talent pool, they couldn’t finalize a deal with a handful of targets.
Polanco, who had undergone knee surgery to repair his left patella tendon, was interested in coming back to Seattle. Given his struggles in 2024 and the offseason procedure, Polanco was going to fit in their price range and wouldn’t expect a large commitment in dollars or years.
He had drawn strong interest from the Astros and the Yankees, but he also was open to returning to Seattle. Polanco had grown close with Julio Rodríguez, Luis Castillo and Randy Arozarena. He felt comfortable with Edgar Martinez.
How close was he to signing with Houston this past offseason?
“Very close,” Polanco said. “They made a good offer. But Seattle came back with a better offer.
Polanco’s agent, Ulises Cabrera, who also represents Rodríguez, called the Mariners to see if they would up their offer. If they did, Polanco would return.
Hollander and Jerry Dipoto, the president of baseball operations, discussed the idea of increasing their commitment to Polanco. They liked everything about Polanco as a player and a person. Given his work ethic, they believed that if he was healthy he would bounce back from the awful 2024 season. They couldn’t have that happen in Houston.
“We really liked Polo and accepted that we might have to get a little uncomfortable with it being more than we wanted,” Hollander said.
On Feb. 3, roughly 10 days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, the Mariners signed Polanco to an incentive-laden, one-year, $7.75 million contract with a mutual option for 2026 that could vest into a $6 million to $8 million player option if he reached a certain number of plate appearances.
“I am so happy for him and appreciative of his trust in us to want to come back to Seattle,” Hollander said. “This is not exactly a place where position players typically go back to sort of rejuvenate their career after a down year. But I think he trusted us and trusted his own abilities, and he really valued our environment.”
At age 31, Polanco has put together a season that rivals his All-Star years during his mid 20s in Minnesota. He’s striking out less frequently, while also hitting the ball harder.
“I guess I’m aging well,” Polanco said with a laugh. “I think it’s my approach and it’s being healthy, too. I’m working every day on my strength. But it’s mostly my approach. I’m not trying to do too much and staying to the middle of the field. I’m squaring up more balls.”
Polanco remembers having conversations with Nelson Cruz when they were teammates in Minnesota about getting better as a hitter with age.
“He said that when he started thinking about hitting the ball the other way, thinking about hitting hard ground balls to second base, he got better. His batting average got better and he increased his homers and his exit velo too. In the game now with how pitchers are changing, I think the best approach you can have is staying to the middle.”
The Mariners love the progression Polanco has made as a hitter, returning to an approach in his earlier years with the Twins.
“As he got into his late 20s, he started to lift and pull more and sort of tap into as much power as he could,” Hollander said. “And I think last year he felt like he needed to make an adjustment, get back to sort of lower launch angles, more contact, using the whole field a little bit more, and it has paid dividends. It hasn’t taken away from his ability to impact the baseball. He’s had an awesome season and I’m thrilled that we’ve got to watch it every day.”
Will they get to watch every day next season? Polanco recently reached 450 plate appearances, turning the mutual option for 2026 into a $6 million player option. Based on his success this season, he will likely decline it and become a free agent. But that doesn’t mean he won’t re-sign with Seattle again.
“It’s worked out pretty good this year,” he said. “It’s been good.
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