SEATTLE -- While the Mariners will retain most of the roster that went deep into October last season, their 2026 group won’t feature a full-fledged form of “running it back.”
Jorge Polanco, one of their most impactful postseason performers -- and their top remaining priority to re-sign this offseason -- came off the free-agent board on Saturday. The switch-hitting veteran infielder agreed to terms on a two-year, $40 million deal with the Mets, sources told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, though it has not been officially announced.
The Mariners had also matched the Mets on the length of their final offer but did not match the financial amount, a source told MLB.com. Another source familiar with the negotiations said that the Mariners were “very competitive, and their actions backed their words.” But it’s unclear what Seattle’s final number was at this stage.
Polanco was “very torn” on the decision, a source with knowledge of his thinking said, but he was ultimately swayed by the higher offer and the proximity to his father, who lives in New York, and as such, was a very influential factor.
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While Saturday’s development will be disappointing in Seattle, it wasn’t exactly shocking.
Jerry Dipoto, the club’s president of baseball operations, had hinted at the Winter Meetings earlier this week that negotiations with Polanco -- who declined a $6 million vesting player option last month to return -- were reaching a tipping point.
"I can't tell you whether or not we will wind up being the team that reels him in,” Dipoto said in Orlando. “But we also have to spread a wider net than that, with the more likely reality being that you wind up somewhere, moving in a different direction, because that's just the odds.”
With Polanco off the board, the Mariners will now shift their sights elsewhere -- because they still have a distinct need, and intention to address it, for an impact infield bat.
However, that remains the Mariners’ most significant remaining void in an offseason that’s already seen them bring back Josh Naylor on a five-year, $92.5 million deal, trade for a lefty leverage reliever in Jose A. Ferrer, and agree to terms with a backup catcher in Andrew Knizner. They’d also like to add more bullpen depth. And they don’t currently have a distinct answer at designated hitter, though the bat they end up acquiring could potentially address that.
That’s where Polanco's fit would’ve come in.
The 32-year-old and 12-year veteran is expected to play first base in New York to back-fill the void left by Pete Alonso, who left for the Orioles on a five-year, $155 million contract agreed to at the Winter Meetings. Alonso’s departure, along with closer Edwin Díaz (free-agent deal with Dodgers) and outfielder Brandon Nimmo (trade to Rangers), ties to a shakeup of the Mets’ core. And Polanco could fit in seamlessly from a chemistry standpoint alongside fellow Dominican Republic native Juan Soto.
Had he returned to Seattle, Polanco likely would’ve been slated for more first-base reps, as the Mariners don’t have a clear backup for Naylor, who was their No. 1 priority to retain. They've also made it clear that they intend to create a runway for young infielders Cole Young and Ben Williamson, as well as 20-year-old Colt Emerson, MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 overall prospect, who is expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026.
Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander still have roughly $15 million to spend this winter, based on the payroll projections Dipoto had suggested at season’s end.
The clearest candidates that they’ve been linked to are second basemen Brendan Donovan of the Cardinals and Ketel Marte of the D-backs.
However, St. Louis is in the midst of a front-office transition, and as such, has not yet been engaging clubs on trading the 2025 All-Star, per reports at the Meetings. And Arizona is said to be seeking MLB-ready starting pitching, which the Mariners don’t intend to trade. Marte, who grew up in Seattle’s organization, is also still owed $91 million over five years.
As for Polanco, his time in Seattle comes to an end after a resurgent 2025 in which he clubbed 26 homers with an .821 OPS and authored some of the club’s most epic October moments. That followed an injury-plagued 2024, when he was first acquired from the club from Minnesota in exchange for four players, and after which, the club declined its $12 million option. The Mariners then brought him back on a one-year, $7.75 million deal in February.