The Mariners on Friday declined their $12MM club option on second baseman Jorge Polanco, per a team announcement. He’ll be paid a $750K buyout and become a free agent. The M’s also announced that infielder Luis Urias went unclaimed on outright waivers and elected free agency. Their 40-man roster is currently at 36 players.
Seattle acquired the switch-hitting Polanco from the Twins last offseason in a trade sending reliever Justin Topa, veteran righty Anthony DeSclafani, prospects Gabriel Gonzalez and Darren Bowen, and cash back to Minnesota. The hope at the time was that the steady Polanco would solidify what had been a revolving door at second base for two seasons in Seattle. Instead, Polanco became the latest notable veteran to arrive in Seattle and see his offensive production unexpectedly decline in swift fashion.
Polanco hit .270/.338/.455 in nearly 2700 plate appearances with the Twins from 2018-23, only once posting below-average offense in a season (2020). He’d incurred some injury troubles in the two years immediately preceding the swap but was entering his age-30 season. There was little reason to expect a steep decline at the plate, but that’s exactly what played out. Polanco, a 2019 All-Star, got out to an awful .197/.285/.298 slash through the first three months of the season. He picked up the pace considerably in July, but by that point there was little salvaging his season. He wound up with career-lows in batting average (.213) and on-base percentage (.298). His .355 slugging percentage was exactly one point higher than his career-worst .354 from that shortened 2020 season.
The career-worst showing at the plate for Polanco was at least in part due to knee troubles. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported a couple weeks back that Polanco was slated to undergo surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee. That’s the same knee that landed Polanco on the injured list for the final month of the 2022 season and for the first three weeks of the 2023 campaign. Depending on the extent to which the injury has been nagging him, it’s certainly possible that a healthier Polanco could return to form in short order next season. It’s not yet clear exactly how long he’ll need to recover, but if Polanco is expected back on time for Opening Day 2025, he ought to command a one-year deal with incentives this offseason.
As for Urias, this is the second time the Mariners passed him through waivers. He accepted an outright assignment last time around, as electing free agency following his midseason outright would’ve required forfeiting the remainder of his salary. He’s no longer on a guaranteed deal, however, and was arbitration-eligible — with a projected $5MM salary (via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz). The M’s were never likely to pay that price a second time, leaving Urias as one of the more clear-cut non-tender candidates in the league. Today’s outright is tantamount to non-tendering him a couple weeks ahead of the deadline to do so.
Urias, 27, was one of the top prospects in baseball during his minor league days with the Padres. He had a pair of solid seasons following a trade to the Brewers, hitting a combined .244/.340/.426 in 2021-22. However, Urias’ production tanked with a .194/.337/.299 slash in 2023, and he wasn’t able to get back on track in 2024, hitting only .191/.303/.394. He’s capable of playing multiple infield spots but is better suited at second and third base than at shortstop. A team seeking a right-handed utility infielder could look to Urias on a minor league deal or perhaps a low-cost one-year pact with some incentives baked in.
Normally I’d be super into the start of the offseason but my interest is still recovering from that pathetically massive collapse and rethinking all the years of being a flex member
I’ll always love my team and I’ll always watch and stay tuned in. And I know that there’s a lot of fans out there that would beg for the young core and pitching that we have.
But man, what a huge letdown. I sold all my September tickets to avoid the in person pain. And of course….they kept it close ALL SEASON. Just brutal
Jerry Dipoto has quietly solidified his status as the “King of lateral trades”. Nuff said.
It’s true. Some things he does well, but he tries too hard to be savvy far too often.
Crazy they gave up a pretty good prospect in gabriel gonzalez to get him. Gonzalez missed a good portion of the year but his ceiling is still immense. This one could get ugly
@cr4..Normally, I suggest that teams proceed towards expenditures with caution and lean on the draft(and trades & international signings)to acquire players. But, in my honest opinion, the M’s might be too cautious and might end up wasting a nice young pitching core in it’s prime.
Immense? He’s a 5’9, 230 lb corner outfielder with approach issues
Eh. Stranger things have happened but the odds Gonzalez becomes a star are slim. He was the “top” prospect most M’s fans were open to moving last offseason for a reason and didn’t really produce to the point that it made M’s fans feel regret.
Meanwhile, Topa was injured (did he even come back?), DeSclafani missed the season, and Bowman imploded.
Yeah M’s didnt give up too much for Polanco. Gonzalez is falling down the prospect rankings and if still in M’s org he’d be behind 2 other OF prospects in their rankings. His ceiling is probably a 4th OF.
So nuclear sizes holes at 1B, 2B, 3B and JP struggling at SS..
Jerry, how will you respond??
Patchwork trades and non tender fliers like Urias and Kolten Wong
And plenty of Jonathan India trade rumors.
Polanco has nearly a combined 10 WAR over his last 4 seasons. He could be a very nice signing for some team.
Have patience M’s fans, your roster could improve rapidly and is an organization I’d be highly leveraged if they were a stock. Colt Emerson was great in the AFL as a very young 19yo, the guy is going to be really good and make Polanco & Urias distant memories eventually. The pitching half of the equation looks fantastic and the position group could be improved through one or two trades (eg, Nico Hoerner & Luis Robert could soon be teammates in SEA).
Thank God! They sucked.
Ok. Time to get this position right. J. Polanco, K. Wong, Shed Long, Adam Frazier, etc. Dipoto and Hollander have an opportunity for a do over. let’s do this right for the upcoming 2025 season. Get a difference maker. Spend, trade, do what you need to do. Brandon Lowe. Nico Hoerner. etc. OR BETTER. Hoerner is 27, Lowe is 30. There is better out there but lets’ get it right.
Lowe would be a good choice since he has capable power and is on a 1 year deal. Cole Young is around the corner so I doubt we look for a long-term option.
I agree. I think Young is a 2026 arrival. I hope. If they are waiting for he and Cole Emerson at SS then make a big splash at 1B and 3B and do the Moore/Rojas platoon for 2025. Would love Guerrero Jr at 1B, if he is not made available, go get Naylor from the Guardians. Diaz from the Rays as the 3rd option at 1B for me. But have to make a big splash at at least two of the three infield positions for 2025 and get a 8th-9th inning reliever to go with Munoz. Tanner Scott would be a dream. You could possible trade for Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran from the Twins. I think a lot of 8th-9th inning relievers are available for the right price.
Young is likely a 2025 arrival. He’s probably ready either to start season or will be early in season.
Hoerner is not a difference maker nor is Lowe. Not that I don’t think they are good but many bash JP who had very similar season to Nico and better years in the recent past
Polanco is so underated its crazy. Even though things did not work out in Seattle, it doesn’t mean that hes a bad player. I think hes going to be one of the biggest surprises next year, as I can see him getting some MVP votes. A lot of great hitters have had pretty poor seasons on Seattle as of late like Teoscar Hernandez and the guy they traded to Arizona (forgot his name). If I had to guess, Polanco will be a Dodger next year and replace Chris Taylor’s role on the team
You had me until MVP votes. Great rebound candidate, just don’t expect too much defensively.
As much as I’d like to see the Tigers go get Bregman, it’s more likely they go after a bounce back guy like Polanco to split time with Jung and maybe get some occasional starts at 2B too. He’ll be a lot cheaper this year.