Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco took his 450th plate look of the 2025 season throughout tonight’s 10-2 win over the Braves, and in doing so he unlocked a participant possibility for the 2026 marketing campaign. Come November, Polanco will now have the chance to both return to free company or keep on with Seattle by choosing up that possibility, which is value $6MM with a $750K buyout. He additionally unlocked an extra $500K to his incentives added to his wage for the 2025 season by reaching 450 plate appearances this night.
Polanco, 32, had his $12MM membership possibility declined by the Mariners final offseason in favor of a $750K buyout after he underwent surgical procedure to restore the patellar tendon in his left knee final offseason. He lingered on the open market till February earlier than lastly re-signing with Seattle on a one-year deal that assured him $7.75MM between his base wage and the aforementioned buyout on what was then a mutual possibility. He’s performed sufficient to not solely vest that possibility but in addition add $2.5MM to his base wage by way of plate look incentives, together with the $500K he added as we speak.
That success when it comes to staying on the sphere has been paired with pretty robust manufacturing from the veteran. He’s slashing .257/.324/.473 throughout his 450 journeys to the plate after tonight’s recreation, good for a 125 wRC+ that will truly be the very best offensive line of his profession. He’s crushed 23 homers, his highest complete since 2021, and has accomplished so whereas putting out simply 15.7% of the time. Solely 29 certified hitters have a decrease strikeout price than Polanco this yr, and amongst that group solely Jose Ramirez, Cody Bellinger, and Ketel Marte have hit extra house runs.
That mixture of pop and call would simply be sufficient to make Polanco a three-to-four win participant if he was taking part in the infield frequently, even regardless of his lackluster glove on the infield. He’s primarily served as Seattle’s DH this yr, nonetheless. A few of that has been as a consequence of his restoration from final offseason’s knee surgical procedure and different day-to-day illnesses he’s handled all year long, and a part of it’s also as a result of emergence of high prospect Cole Younger at second base and the membership’s determination to commerce for Eugenio Suarez to man the new nook. Regardless of the motive, Polanco has simply 30 appearances within the subject (principally at second base, with temporary cameos at each first and third) this season, together with simply 26 begins.
Even with out Polanco taking part in the sphere fairly often, it appears seemingly that he’ll decline his participant possibility in favor of testing free company. In any case, Polanco landed a bigger assure than the $5.25MM determination he’ll be making final offseason, coming off a down season the place he hit simply .213/.296/.355 (92 wRC+) in 118 video games. He appears pretty prone to do a very good bit higher available on the market this yr. Gleyber Torres is the highest title on the second base market this yr, with Willi Castro, Amed Rosario, and Luis Rengifo amongst a handful of utility varieties additionally slated to hit free company this winter. Whereas names like Suarez, Alex Bregman, and Bo Bichette will steal a lot of the consideration amongst infielders, a well-above common change hitter like Polanco ought to get loads of curiosity even when considered as a DH. If considered as a DH, Polanco would seemingly be a part of Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna among the many second tier of choices on the place behind high slugger Kyle Schwarber.
Whereas Polanco is seemingly poised to say no his possibility in favor of free company this winter, it should be famous that the choice does supply him some safety towards an damage cropping up that will influence his market. With that being stated, it should be famous that Polanco’s contract with Seattle incorporates language that will block his participant possibility from kicking in if he suffers a lower-half damage that will influence his availability for the beginning of the 2026 season. Even with that language limiting the scope of his damage safety, nonetheless, it’s absolutely a aid for Polanco to know that he has a contract kind of assured for subsequent season if he needs it.
