SEATTLE -- Jorge Polanco, as expected, has declined a $6 million vesting player option for 2026 and will become a free agent, the Mariners announced on Wednesday.
However, there will be interest from the Mariners to bring back the 32-year-old second baseman and designated hitter after his resounding turnaround in 2025.
Additionally on Wednesday, the Mariners made a minor trade, acquiring right-hander Cole Wilcox from the Rays in exchange for cash considerations. The club also made a few housekeeping roster moves by reinstating from the 60-day injured list infielder Ryan Bliss (torn left biceps) and relievers Gregory Santos (right knee inflammation) and Trent Thornton (torn left Achilles).
Polanco had achieved the vesting option for accumulating 450 plate appearances, a threshold that was tied to the one-year, $7 million contract he signed in January to build in incentive toward his health, having undergone surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee last October. Also tied into that deal was a $750,000 buyout.
The knee issue was one he battled throughout his first season in Seattle, in 2024, which also led to hamstring issues, and the way he bounced back was one of the Mariners’ most promising developments in ‘25.
Polanco was eased back into action in Spring Training and during April due to the knee recovery. He then experienced a strained right oblique that he grinded through, though it precluded him from hitting from the right side and playing the field. But the 12-year veteran, who solidified the everyday DH role shortly after, was never placed on the IL.
Polanco crushed 26 homers in the regular season -- his most since a career-high 33 in 2021 -- then another four in the playoffs, when he was one of Seattle’s most productive players en route to the American League Championship Series. Overall, he slashed .265/.326/.495 (.821 OPS) with 30 doubles, 78 RBIs, a 15.6% strikeout rate (almost half his 2024 rate of 29.2%) and an 8% walk rate in 524 plate appearances across 138 games before October.
For his efforts, Polanco is a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award at second base.
Polanco joined Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suárez and Mitch Garver as the Mariners’ position players that have become free agents, along with low-leverage relievers Caleb Ferguson and Luke Jackson. Acquired from Minnesota for four players in January 2024, Polanco had his $12 million club option declined for ‘25 before rejoining the Mariners on the new deal two months later, initially to play third base.
With Polanco gone, at least for now, Seattle has holes at every infield position other than shortstop J.P. Crawford, who is entering the final season of a five-year, $51 million deal he signed on Opening Day in 2022.
That said, the Mariners do have a few prospects who could be allocated towards those voids.
Second baseman Cole Young flashed a few promising moments after making his MLB debut on May 31, though he struggled mightily down the stretch to the point where the Mariners shifted Polanco from a hybrid DH role into their primary second baseman. Bliss, meanwhile, will be healthy by spring after suffering his injury in early April then tearing his meniscus during a rehab assignment in September, ending his season. Young and Bliss will be in the mix at the position this Spring Training, but having Polanco back as a bridge could certainly be a benefit.
Elsewhere across the diamond, third baseman Ben Williamson was their best defensive player over an 85-game stint last year before the club acquired Suárez at the Trade Deadline. Williamson’s .604 OPS as a rookie wasn’t in the echelon for a primary run-producer, but the Mariners could make up for that by finding offense at other spots, which was their calculus in using him there regularly before the Deadline.
There’s also a legitimate possibility that Colt Emerson, their No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 overall, could be in the mix at the hot corner at some point in 2026, after the 20-year-old climbed three Minor League affiliates in ‘25. But an Opening Day spot is probably something they won’t bank on.
First base, however, is the most obvious question mark -- but also the spot with the clearest answer, as a reunion with Naylor makes such sound sense. However, the first-time free agent is expected to net a deal in the range of four to five years and, potentially, at up to $20 million per season, with plenty of big-market suitors also in need at his position.
The Mariners will have money to spend this winter, in the range of $30-35 million based on what president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto hinted at during an end-of-season media session. But the cost to bring back Polanco -- especially with Naylor as their top priority -- just got higher following Wednesday’s news.