Jorge Polanco’s Season-Ending Surgery Proves Mariners Right but Exposes a Bigger Failure
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The Mariners were right to draw a line with Jorge Polanco. They didn’t extend him a qualifying offer, then negotiated a reunion and even matched the Mets on contract length. They refused to match the money. Ultimately, letting him walk was the right call. We don’t need to complicate that conclusion.
Polanco’s first season with the New York Mets is over after just 37 games. He will undergo surgery on his left ankle after spending much of 2026 battling Achilles bursitis. His final line is absolutely brutal: .148/.201/.230 with two home runs and six RBIs. Even worse? The Mets guaranteed him $40 million over two years.
Seattle wanted Polanco back after he declined his $6 million player option. The Mariners reportedly pursued him before the Mets overwhelmed the market. This is one of those moments where Mariners fans should be happy that the organization knows its limits. This was good business. At the same time, that doesn’t mean it was enough.
The Mariners Were Right Not to Match Jorge Polanco’s $40 Million Contract
Polanco gave Seattle almost everything it could have wanted in 2025. He slashed .265/.326/.495 with an .821 OPS, 26 home runs and 78 RBIs. He also delivered a 15th-inning walk-off single against Detroit that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS since 2001.
Seattle received the bounceback season they were hoping for, along with the October heroics. The Mets inherited the expensive medical risk we knew had been lingering.
That doesn’t make the Mariners clairvoyant. They still tried to re-sign him. They simply refused to guarantee $40 million to an aging hitter with a lengthy lower-body injury history. The larger problem is what Seattle did next.
They still needed to replace a switch-hitter who launched 26 home runs in the middle of a division-winning lineup. They never did.
Say what you will about who they acquired. Brendan Donovan, Rob Refsnyder and leaning on young infielders Cole Young and Colt Emerson. Donovan is a good player whose contact skills and versatility fit any roster, but he was never replacing Polanco’s power. Refsnyder was a platoon piece who’s no longer on the roster. Young has been a bright spot, but Emerson is now on the IL. And they were still being asked to develop while helping carry a supposed contender.
The Mariners treated several partial solutions like one complete answer. Now they are 59-67 after suffering a 22-0 loss to Milwaukee, the worst defeat in franchise history.
We can appreciate Polanco’s place in Mariners history and hope surgery finally gives him relief. We can also admit Seattle avoided a bad contract. Both are true.
But payroll flexibility doesn’t hit with runners in scoring position. Seattle won the Polanco decision and somehow still lost the larger assignment.
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Tremayne Person is the Publisher for Mariners On SI and the Site Expert at Friars on Base, with additional bylines across FanSided’s MLB division. He founded the Keep It Electric podcast in 2023 and covers baseball with a blend of analysis, context, and a little well-timed side-eye just to keep things honest. Tremayne grew up a Mariners fan in Richmond, Va., and that passion ultimately led him to move to Seattle to cover the team closely and become a regular at home games. Through his writing, he connects with fans who want a deeper, more personal understanding of the game. When he’s not at T-Mobile Park, he’s with his dog, gaming, or finding the next storyline worth digging into.
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