Mariners Get Eye-Opening Jorge Polanco Update From MLB Insider

The Seattle Mariners' stated offseason goal is to keep the band together as much as possible, and Jorge Polanco was a key part of their sound this year.

Not only was Polanco fantastic during the regular season, cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half and putting up 26 home runs, but he shined in the clutch during October, including a walk-off single to clinch Seattle's first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2001.

Lots of teams could make sense for Polanco outside of Seattle, but one team we've heard consistently mentioned as a fit has been the Pittsburgh Pirates, who appear to be trying to spend money at long last. However, an insider dropped a report on Tuesday that poured cold water on Pittsburgh's chances.

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Jorge Polanco 'values comfort and winning'

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who received information from someone in Polanco's camp, the Pirates may not be able to secure the switch-hitting utility man even if they offer the most money.

"Free-agent infielder Jorge Polanco, another hitter drawing interest from the Pirates, might not jump at the chance to play for a club that has not contended in recent years, even if they make him the highest offer," wrote Rosenthal.

"Polanco, according to a person who knows him, values comfort and winning. He has played for only two teams, the Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners. And he has made the playoffs in five of his last nine seasons."

Some free agents, especially in their early 30s, will simply go to the highest bidder with no questions asked. It's undoubtedly good news for Seattle, if retaining Polanco is still the goal, that they seem to have such a serious leg up before offers are exchanged.

Minnesota, meanwhile, seems to have no direction at the moment, so Seattle fans probably don't need to worry about the Twins emerging as a realistic option.

The Athletic's Tim Britton projects Polanco for a two-year, $35 million contract. That's not necessarily an easy figure for Seattle to add to its payroll at this point, but they could almost certainly find a way to make it work with some creative structuring and/or trimming the budget elsewhere.

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