The New York Mets have finalized a two-year, $40 million deal with former All-Star infielder Jorge Polanco to play first base and designated hitter.

The 32-year-old is expected to split time between first base and DH with third baseman Mark Vientos, but that idea doesn’t make the most sense. Polanco has played one game at first base in his entire career and isn’t regarded as a plus-defender. Neither was star slugger Pete Alonso, which is why the Mets were okay with him signing elsewhere for big money, which makes this move a head-scratcher.

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Polanco had a great bounce back season with the Seattle Mariners in 2025, hitting .265 with 26 home runs and 30 doubles while driving in 78 RBI in 138 games. It was one of his best offensive seasons and was very similar to Alonso’s production (Alonso’s OPS+ was only 10 points higher than Polanco’s).

ESPN’s David Schoenfield graded this move as a C, noting that even the best version of Polanco isn’t better than Alonso.

“On the surface, it’s possible to argue that Polanco can fill Alonso’s shoes — or, given that he’ll be making about two-thirds of the $31 million AAV that Alonso will make with the Orioles, at least replace two-thirds of those shoes given that Alonso’s numbers weren’t that much better: .272/.347/.524 with a 144 OPS+,” Schoenfield wrote Saturday.

“Of course, it’s not quite so simple. Polanco’s 134 OPS+ was a career high, and he has surpassed 20 home runs just three times in his career, the other two coming with the Twins in the lively ball years of 2019 and 2021. To be fair, he was healthier in 2025 after battling various leg and knee injuries the previous two seasons that limited him to a .213/.296/.355 line in his first season with Seattle in 2024.”

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Polanco does offer New York positional flexibility and some speed, but his durability is a question mark and that wasn’t the case with Alonso.

“In comparison to Alonso’s record of durability, that makes this a risky signing, as Polanco averaged just 101 games from 2022 to 2024,” wrote Schoenfield. “It’s fair to argue that three years of injuries is a better predictor of what might happen in the future than one healthy, career-best season. Polanco’s season also ran hot and cold: He had a 1.226 OPS in April and finished strong with a 1.015 OPS in September, along with some big postseason moments, but hit just .139 in May and .222 in June.

“At his best, the 32-year-old switch-hitter is a tough out from both sides of the plate, with an 83rd percentile strikeout rate. He produced career highs in 2025 in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate while cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half from 2025. If the Mets get that version of Polanco, he’ll be a nice addition, if a bit of an overpay for a player with his health history. You certainly can’t pencil him for 162 games like you could for Alonso — and that’s what the Mets will miss most in 2026.”

Losing Alonso hurts, but if Polanco can build off his great 2025 campaign, it will be an easier pill to swallow.