Mariners face uncertainty at second base after Polanco decision

The Seattle Mariners have decided to move on from Jorge Polanco, but other news has made this an even more interesting decision by the club.

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about how the Seattle Mariners had to make a decision by early November, about how to proceed with Jorge Polanco. Well, they wasted little time in determining what to do effectively as soon as the new month arrived.

As confirmed by the Mariners on Friday, they have declined the 2025 club option on Polanco. Worth $12 million, they instead decided to pay him the $750,000 buyout fee.

For many this decision was not really much of a surprise, after the worst season of Polanco’s 11 years in the Majors. His 2024 campaign with the Mariners included career lows of a .213 batting average, .296 OBP and .651 OPS.

This was clearly not the same player who has a career slash line of .263/.330/.435, together with a .765 OPS. In fairness to Polanco though, it did subsequently turn out that his performance this past season was compromised by a patellar tendon issue in his left knee, which required offseason surgery.

The 2019 Major League All-Star is expected to be ready for the beginning of spring training, but clearly this still wasn’t enough to convince the Mariners to pick up his club option. Now yes, they could look to bring him back on a smaller salary, but you also have to wonder if he would even want to return to Seattle, specifically with T-Mobile Park being such a tough stadium to succeed as a hitter.

What do the Mainers do now at second base?

Going with the assumption that Polanco won’t be back, this now leaves a big question mark for the Mariners at second base. Particularly when considering news from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, that 2022 first round draft pick Cole Young is not projected to be ready for the Majors until 2026.

Other potential in-house options include Ryan Bliss and Leo Rivas, who both got their first taste of Major League action in 2024. Although the Mariners may not be ready to hand the reigns over to either player, particularly Bliss.

This leaves the likelihood that the Mariners will look to a trade or free agency, for a suitable replacement at second base. Fans will obviously be hoping comments from various members of the organisation that money is available, will result in a compelling upgrade at a position which is in desperate need of some stability.

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Another roster move

On the same day, the Mariners also confirmed that Luis Urías had gone unclaimed on outright waivers, and elected for free agency. This means the 40-man roster is currently at 36 players.

It is a shame that things didn’t work out for Urías, who was previously a top prospect during his time with the San Diego Padres. Acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox last November, he had a career-low .191 batting average along with a .696 OPS in 41 games for the Mariners.

Do you agree or disagree with the decision to move on from Polanco, and why? Would you be at all interested in trying to bring him back at a cheaper price? Let us know in the comments section below.