Where would the Seattle Mariners have been without Jorge Polanco in 2025?
They may not have won a division title or even been a playoff team, and they certainly wouldn’t have won a playoff series and made their deepest postseason run in franchise history.
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After a disappointing first season in the Pacific Northwest, a rejuvenated Polanco had one of the best years of his career while being a catalyst to the Mariners’ success in 2025.
He hit .265 with a .495 slugging percentage, .821 OPS, 26 home runs, 30 doubles and 78 RBIs while playing in 138 games this season, which were all his highest marks since 2021. The 32 year old also nearly cut his strikeout rate half in the process, going from a career-worst 29.2% last season to 15.6% in 2025.
In the postseason, he delivered some of the biggest hits in Mariners history.
In Game 2 of the American League Division Series, Polanco hit two solo home runs off Detroit Tigers ace and reigning AL Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal. In Game 5, he delivered the walkoff hit in the 15th inning to send Seattle to its first ALCS in 24 years. In Game 2 of the ALCS, he hit a tiebreaking three-run homer that put the Mariners ahead for good.
Now a big question looms regarding the switch-hitting slugger: Will he back with the Mariners next season?
The resurgent year and playoff heroics came after Polanco signed a one-year deal to return to the Mariners in the offseason. The deal came with vesting player options for 2026 based on plate appearances. Polanco hit the first marker for his vesting options, reaching 450 plate appearances to trigger a $6 million player option in 2026.
Polanco seems destined to turn down that option and test the free-agent market. He played his way to a more lucrative deal, and since he will turn 33 next season, this could be his last chance at a multi-year contract.
If Polanco does turn down his player option, how the Mariners decide to approach the situation could be the pivot point of their offseason. Should they be willing to spend more to bring him back? Should they let him walk? Here’s a look at the cases for and against giving Polanco a new deal if he opts for free agency.
Why they should do it
It became pretty evident this year that the version of Polanco the M’s had in 2024 was greatly compromised by the patellar tendon injury in his left knee that he had surgery to repair after the season.
The 2025 version of Polanco was who the Mariners thought they were getting when they traded for him, which is hitter who at times can carry an offense.
Polanco had a remarkable month of April, hitting .388 with a 1.226 OPS and as many home runs (nine) as strikeouts to aid Cal Raleigh in carrying Seattle’s offense early. In September, he hit .329 with a 1.015 OPS and 17 extra-base hits while helping the M’s go on a red-hot run to clinch the AL West.
Polanco provided two key aspects for the middle of the Mariners’ lineup – a low strikeout rate and clutch hitting. His strikeout rate was the best on the team, as were his .337 average and 173 wRC+ with runners in scoring position and .438 average and 259 wRC+ in high-leverage at-bats.
He can also hit at T-Mobile Park. His .288 average, .902 OPS, 15 homers and 20 doubles at home were all better than his numbers on the road.
Can Seattle really afford to lose that sort of impact from its lineup?
The team chemistry aspect factors in here, too. This is a tight-knit group that enjoys playing together, and Polanco has now been a part of that for two years.
Additionally, if Cole Young struggles and top prospect Colt Emerson needs more time to reach the majors, Polanco could provide insurance at second base as he did this year.
Why they shouldn’t
Will Polanco ever play 138 games in a season again?
It’s a fair question to ask since the veteran infielder has dealt with injuries numerous times in his 12-year big league career and reached 130 games played just four times.
The fact he played 138 games without a trip to the injured list in 2025 is a touch misleading, because he wasn’t fully healthy throughout the year. An oblique injury kept him from playing in the field or hitting from the right side of the plate for an extended period of time early in the season.
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So, any deal for Polanco comes with a decent level of risk, which could be reason enough to let him go elsewhere if his market dictates a salary or contract length that begins to feel uncomfortable.
Outside of health and age, there are a couple other reasons why allocating a potentially significant portion of their offseason spending on Polanco may not be a good idea, but they do include some “ifs” about unproven players and aren’t necessarily bad problems to have.
At this point in his career, Polanco is a designated hitter who can play second base when needed but shouldn’t on a regular basis. If he comes back, the DH rotation could become a little tricky. The Mariners will need to factor in some DH days for star catcher Cal Raleigh, and if touted catching prospect Harry Ford is on the roster, he’ll likely need some of those days, too, in order to get enough playing time to continue his development. It would probably be beneficial to work Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford into that rotation as well. Both will be 31 next season and started at least 155 games in the field this year.
Seattle also has its potential second baseman of the future in Cole Young and a wealth of highly regarded middle infield prospects who are getting close to the big leagues, led by 2023 first-round pick shortstop Colt Emerson. If either of those players begin to excel at the big league level next year, Polanco’s ability to play second base becomes less valuable than it was for the Mariners late this season when Young was struggling.
All this is to say that there will be plenty of factors for the M’s to consider if Polanco opts for free agency.
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