Despite a strong mutual desire between the Seattle Mariners and infielder to keep their partnership going through at least the 2026 season, the two sides have yet to finalize a contract extension.
On Wednesday, team sources confirmed that the 32-year-old infielder declined his $6 million player option for 2026, officially making him a free agent.
The decision didn’t come as a surprise to the Mariners’ front office. After an impressive 2025 campaign, Polanco’s expected market value as a free agent is projected to be roughly double what the option would have paid.
Over 138 games and 524 plate appearances in 2025, Polanco posted a .265/.326/.495 slash line with 30 doubles, 26 home runs, 78 RBIs, 42 walks, and 82 strikeouts. His performance earned him a spot as a Silver Slugger finalist at second base.
Polanco now joins fellow free agents Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suárez, Mitch Garver, Luke Jackson, and Caleb Ferguson from the Mariners squad that came within one win of reaching the World Series.
Seattle originally acquired Polanco before the 2024 season in a trade with Minnesota that sent four players to the Twins. However, lingering knee issues limited his health and led to additional hamstring problems. He appeared in 118 games that year, batting .213/.296/.355 with 11 doubles, 16 homers, 45 RBIs, 46 walks, and 137 strikeouts — the toughest season of his career both physically and statistically. Afterward, he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair his patellar tendon.
Acknowledging their infield needs but wary of his health, the Mariners declined Polanco’s $12 million club option for 2025, allowing him to enter free agency.
Throughout that offseason, Seattle stayed in contact with Polanco. When other roster moves fell through, they revisited the possibility of bringing him back. Despite interest from the Yankees and Astros, Polanco chose to re-sign with the Mariners on a one-year, $7.75 million deal loaded with incentives — including a vesting player option triggered by reaching 450 plate appearances.
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