What it could cost Seattle Mariners to re-sign Jorge Polanco

The Seattle Mariners have big decisions to make on a trio players who just hit the free agent market.

Free agents Jorge Polanco, Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez all became available to sign contracts with new teams at 2 p.m. Thursday.

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In the case of Polanco, he became a free agent after turning down his $6 million player option for the 2026 campaign on Wednesday. The switch-hitting second baseman/designated hitter was one of the most important members of Seattle’s run to the American League Championship Series, providing an impact bat in the middle of the lineup throughout the year and coming up with the some of the team’s biggest hits in the postseason.

After a resurgent second season in Seattle, the 32-year-old Polanco re-established himself as one of the better hitters in this year’s free agent class. How much will it cost for the Mariners to bring him back? MLB Network insider Jon Morosi weighed in during his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

Morosi believes a three-year, $45 million deal for Polanco is “probably what a fair price would be at the outset.”

“He played so well,” Morosi said. “He was one of his team’s best players in the postseason.”

Polanco slashed .265/.326/.495 with 30 doubles, 26 home runs, 78 RBIs and 132 wRC+ in 138 games this season. His .821 OPS was 30th among qualified major league hitters.

He was baseball’s most clutch hitter throughout the year, leading the league with a 1.284 OPS and 259 wRC+ in high-leverage situations. His .438 batting average was second to Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk (.441).

In the AL Division Series, Polanco homered twice off Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in Game 2 and hit a walkoff single in the 15th inning of Game 5 to send the M’s to the next round. He added go-ahead hits to his postseason heroics during Seattle’s wins in Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS, including a three-run homer in Game 2.

With three of Seattle’s starting infielders during its playoff run now free agents, Morosi believes re-signing Polanco would be a good start to reassembling a championship-caliber club.

“But that cannot be the end,” he said. “I think that the Mariners are going to be looking at the potential of either spending some significant money in free agency to have that good of a team again, or you probably have to start considering the possibility of trading one of your younger, controllable arms to get the bat that you need, if you’re gonna go shopping in the trade market for someone like an (Philadelphia third baseman) Alec Bohm or (first baseman) Yandy Díaz with Tampa – names we’ve talked about before.

“But I do think this is another time for the Mariners to revisit what they want their club to look like not just for ‘26, but beyond.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-7 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

What it could cost Seattle Mariners to re-sign Jorge Polanco

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