Why not sign Jorge Polanco, the Mariners will regret the most this offseason

The Seattle Mariners it was no accident that he lost Jorge Polanco. They allowed him to walk as he imagined.

This difference is important because the ramifications of that decision are already visible — on the roster, in the balance of the roster and in how the organization chooses to shape the 2026 season.

Polanco’s departure follows the 2025 season was no doubt about the player. It was about cost tolerance. After a full comeback year in which the 32-year-old veteran second baseman re-established himself as a force up the middle, the Mariners faced the familiar decision of either paying market value for proven production or turning to youth and flexibility. They chose the latter even when the former found a willing buyer.

On December 13, 2025, the New York Mets signed Polanco to a two-year, $40 million contract, entrusting him with a hybrid first base and designated hitter role following the departure of Pete Alonso. From the Mets’ perspective, the move was simple. Polanco just posted an .821 OPS with 26 home runs while helping lead Seattle’s offense through a deep postseason run. New York paid a premium for Polanco’s switching power, positional adaptability and recent success in October.

Seattle, meanwhile, recalibrated.

The Mariners have already won on the infielder once by declining his $12 million option after the 2024 season, then bringing him back to a cheaper deal on that through 2025. That gamble paid off handsomely. Polanco stayed healthy, played in 138 games and delivered the most productive season of his tenure with the Mariners. He also authored one of the defining moments of the franchise’s postseason, driving in the decisive run in the 15th inning for Seattle in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers.

That version of Polancoa reliable bat who responds to pressure, he was exactly the type of player Seattle decided not to keep.

Instead, the front office shifted resources toward roster depth and long-term development. on monday, Mariners acquired Brendan Donovan in a three-team trade involving the Tampa Bay Rays and St. Louis Cardinals, pairing him with top prospect Cole Young as the projected second base solution entering spring training. From a balance point of view, the logic applies. Donovan brings versatility and on-base skills at a fraction of Polanco’s annual cost, while Young is the cornerstone of the next competitive stretch.

From a squad building standpoint, the risk is obvious.

Polanco switch profile isolated Seattle from match manipulation. In 2025, he punished both left-handed and right-handed pitching, forcing opposing managers to think twice before bringing in late-change specialists. That flexibility is gone. Donovan and Young hit left-handed, creating a natural vulnerability that didn’t exist before the season, especially in high-leverage postseason environments where platoon advantages are magnified.

The output gap is also real. Replacing 26 home runs and 78 runs batted in is not a theoretical exercise. It’s a nightly request. Seattle is betting that the overall performance — from a contact-oriented utility bat and a developmental starter — can approximate what a proven shortstop has reliably delivered. It is not impossible. However, this is uncertain.

This is it where the Polanco decision comes in the end. The Mariners did not misjudge the player. The market immediately confirmed its value. They simply chose not to pay him, prioritizing payroll flexibility and the development side over continuity.

Whether that restraint will prove prudent or costly will not be determined in February. That will be decided in the late games, against elite pitching, when lineup balance and postseason experience matter most. In 2025, the Mariners built a hitter for those moments. They are looking for two more people to mature in them in 2026.