“Polo’ is a great guy, and we have been in contact with him and his (agency),” Dipoto said (link via Adam Jude of The Seattle Times). “I can’t imagine it will happen as quickly as it did with Josh.” Seattle hasn’t closed the door on bringing either Eugenio Suarez” writes Jude, but it seems like Polanco is more of a primary focus.
Seattle brought back the switch-hitting Polanco in a $6 million deal last winter. They were rewarded for their confidence that his poor 2024 season was due to playing through a meniscus injury in his left knee. Polanco hit 26 home runs with a batting line of .265/.326/.495 over 524 plate appearances. He spent most of his time at designated hitter to keep him healthy, but got more regular runs at second base in September and into the postseason.
Polanco gets a much stronger contract this time. He’s a lock for at least two years. MLBTR projected a three-year, $42 million contract for the 32-34 seasons. That price would have been the M’s biggest deal for a free agent hitter under Dipoto until the signing of Naylor. It appears there is still room in the budget for a mid-tier free agent deal of that ilk, even with Naylor on the books for $16.5 million next season ($10 million salary plus a $6.5 million signing bonus).
Ryan bliss, Cole Young And Leo Rivas are the second basic options for the time being. Top prospect on the field Foal Emerson threat after hitting .285/.383/.458 between the top three minor league levels as a 19-year-old. It seems more likely that Emerson will break into third base, where he hits lightly Ben Williamson projects as a starter. That could change if the Mariners are unable to re-sign Polanco and instead focus on Suárez.
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