Jorge Polanco Has a Surprising Wrinkle in New Contract From Seattle Mariners
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The Seattle Mariners signed veteran infielder Jorge Polanco to a one-year deal last week. Polanco, who was with the M's last season,. will come back and play third base, as opposed to his usual second.
Thanks to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, we now know the full contract breakdown for the 31-year-old.
Jorge Polanco
Mariners
$7.75M/1 opt 2026.
$7M - 2025
Player option for 2026 for $6M or $750K buyout if Player has 450pa in 2025 and passes physical
Player Option rises to $8M with 550pa (corrected — no team option)
$3.5M incentives
Full No Trade 2025
Jorge Polanco
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 3, 2025
Mariners
$7.75M/1 opt 2026.
$7M - 2025
Player option for 2026 for $6M or $750K buyout if Player has 450pa in 2025 and passes physical
Player Option rises to $8M with 550pa (corrected — no team option)
$3.5M incentives
Full No Trade 2025
So, we knew that there was an option on Polanco's deal, but it turns out that it's a player option. If Polanco plays everyday, and plays well, he's certain to opt-out and chase a more lucrative contract offseason. If Polanco plays a lot and plays poorly, similar to last year, he's likely to opt-in for financial and professional security reasons.
Furthermore, the no-trade clause was previously unreported. On the surface, it seems odd to give a no-trade clause to someone who hit just .213 a season ago, but Polanco clearly values stability in his career and doesn't want to move, at least not without having a say in where he goes.
Polanco just had knee surgery, which will hopefully make him more productive than last year's .213 average with 16 homers and 45 RBI. A former All-Star, he hit 33 homers for the Minnesota Twins back in 2021.
The Mariners report to spring training in just over one week.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
POTENTIAL LINEUP: After signing Jorge Polanco, here's how the Mariners could look in 2025, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. CLICK HERE:
ORDER UP: The M's spring training hats are now officially released, and they look basically the same as last year. CLICK HERE:
WHAT ARE THE ODDS: The new Baseball Prospectus odds were released on Monday and the Mariners were given a better than 50 percent chance to make the playoffs. CLICK HERE:
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