The Seattle Mariners began the offseason with three major players hitting free agency: Jorge Polanco, Eugenio Suárez, and Josh Naylor.
While the team has already brought Naylor back on a new contract, both Polanco and Suárez remain on the open market.
Seattle appears interested in retaining at least one of them, but it’s uncertain whether they’ll manage to do so. Even though neither player is projected to command a massive deal, the Mariners may still struggle to fit a contract into their budget.
Just Baseball’s Joey Peterson recently predicted Polanco would bolt from the Mariners and sign a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. Polanco is projected to sign a $26 million deal in free agency, per Jim Bowden of The Athletic.
“While they have been linked to several different hitters already, Jorge Polanco feels like the perfect fit for this organization,” Peterson wrote. “Heading into his age-32 season, Polanco hits a solid middle ground in terms of price. He’ll be cheaper than the upper echelon of free-agent bats, but he has the ability to be a very productive middle-of-the-order hitter at an AAV anywhere around $10 million to $16 million in all likelihood.
“Polanco is coming off one of the best seasons of his career and certainly his best since since his peak season in 2021 with the Minnesota Twins. Polanco hit the second-most homers of his career in 2025 with 26, and he ended with the highest wRC+ of his entire career at 132.”
The Pirates are seemingly ramping up for a huge free agency. They’re reportedly interested in Kyle Schwarber, but that seems more like a fever dream than anything.
Falling back on Polanco would make a lot of sense.
He’s affordable and talented. The Pirates would get a lot better by adding Polanco to their lineup. His presence at second base would improve the roster and clubhouse for the next few years without breaking the bank.
Leave a Reply