One thing about Mariners’ reunion with Polanco gives Salk pause
Jan 31, 2025, 1:37 PM
The Seattle Mariners’ big move of January 2025 was more or less the same big move they made in January 2024.
They acquired Jorge Polanco.
The context of the move this time around, however, is very different.
Drayer: Polanco is answer for Seattle Mariners’ infield — with question marks
Last year, Seattle traded four players plus cash to the Minnesota Twins for Polanco, with the expectation he would be their No. 3 hitter. After a rough 2024 that included multiple trips to the injured list and a lingering knee injury that wasn’t public knowledge until he underwent surgery after the season, Polanco now returns to the Mariners with a decreased salary, a different position and lower expectations.
“I don’t think they’re going to be relying on him the way they were last year. Maybe that’s the best part,” Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk said Friday morning as he reacted to the Mariners’ re-signing of Polanco. “If you remember back to the beginning of last year, the idea was Jorge Polanco, No. 3 hitter.
“You want my positive spin for this year? Jorge Polanco’s back at a reduced rate, you didn’t have to pay him what it would have cost to pick up his option (for 2025 on his previous contract) – you’re saving about $5 million on that, which he could earn back it looks like in incentives, which is fine. If he has the kind of year that he was expected to have when he was brought in to be the No. 3 hole hitter on this team, great. You’ll happily pay him the other $5 million, right?”
The Mariners’ reunion with Polanco gives Salk some pause, however.
While Polanco has been an All-Star and does have a strong offensive track record, Salk isn’t sure he fits the style that Mariners manager Dan Wilson and senior director of hitting strategy Edgar Martinez are looking to put into action.
In a conversation with Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Wednesday, Wilson described the team’s offensive priorities as “fighting when we have two strikes, it’s moving runners, it’s doing the little things.” Polanco may have done some of those things while with Minnesota, but he struck out a career-high 137 times to 46 walks in 118 games last year. Wilson also said the team will look to push things on the basepaths, but Polanco doesn’t fit that bill, either.
“Does he fit what Edgar and Dan say is the future of this offense?” Salk asked. “… I think (the Mariners’ offensive philosophies cover) some of the description we got of him when he was in Minnesota. Definitely a guy that gives you good at-bats, fights hard, you want him up late in the game because of all those things. We didn’t see evidence of that at all last year. Like, none. I didn’t see any. He had like two big hits the entire year, and we just did not see that evidence of fights with two strikes, gives you a quality at-bat. And the numbers don’t really bear it out in his career all that well either.”
Polanco could very well help the Mariners’ offense in 2025, but Salk has a hard time seeing his batting approach line up with Seattle’s objectives in Wilson’s first full year as manager.
“I always sort of have the same view on this – tell me what you want to do and then go do it. Does Jorge Polanco fit what you want to do?” Salk continued. “He doesn’t run. He’s got injury concerns. I mean, like, he fits it to an extent. He can be a battler up at the plate, and maybe he will be a guy to benefit from (new Mariners hitting coach Kevin) Seitzer and Edgar, and hopefully that works out.
“But he’s not running, he’s not pressurizing the opponent, he’s not handling the bat – he’s not doing all those things that you’re kind of asking your team to do. And that’s always my question mark is just, hey, tell me what you want to do and go do it. And when you bring people in, bring them in to fit the style that you say.”
A return to form?
Polanco is one of a number “bounce back” candidates over the age of 30 on the Mariners roster, alongside catcher Mitch Garver and outfielder Mitch Haniger. At least in that respect, he seems to have the best chance of actually bouncing back based on his age (31) and multiple seasons of success while with the Twins.
“I’m just most confident in him bouncing back over any of the other guys on the roster at this point, to be honest with you,” said Lyle Goldstein, a Brock and Salk producer as well as co-host of the Marine Layer podcast that covers the Mariners. “… Garver’s close. But Polanco’s just got such a track record as a hitter, to fall off at 31 would feel odd. I really, really think those injuries held him up last year, and you could see him turn it around being healthy.”
Salk more or less agreed.
“I hope you’re right. I mean, that would be great. I would put him and Garver in the same camp of guys that have enough of a track record that there should be a turnaround,” Salk said. “… Polanco could absolutely have a bounce back. (But) I don’t think he’s going to be what Eugenio Suárez was for you, hitting home runs left and right from third base. I don’t think he’s going to turn into your ‘Geno.’ Can he deliver in other ways? Can he be just a quality, keep-the-line moving kind of a bat in the middle of the lineup? I hope so.”
Hear the full conversation in the opening segment of Friday’s Brock and Salk in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Catch Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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