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Free Agent Profile: While not a priority, adding a veteran infielder like Jorge Polanco could be a wise depth move for the Blue Jays

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation | By Veronica Chung | Last updated Dec 31, 2024 10:00 AM ET

After nearly a decade of success with the Minnesota Twins, second baseman Jorge Polanco was traded last winter to the Seattle Mariners for multiple players and cash. Little did Polanco know, he would put up the worst offensive numbers in T-Mobile Park and has found himself looking for a new home this upcoming season.

Polanco will be looking for redemption and there is certainly an opportunity for a team out there to help him turn things around.

Jorge Polanco’s 2024

Polanco had his share of ups and downs with the Twins but was always known for his on-base and plate skills throughout his time there. However, as soon as he was traded to Seattle, his slash line metrics all deteriorated quickly. With Seattle, Polanco posted a .213/.296/.355 slash line through 118 games. He saw his OPS fall to a career low .651 and he also authored a 93 OPS+, also sits towards the bottom of his career single-season lines.

Splits-wise, the switch hitter performed better against left-handed pitching in the right side of the batter’s box when it came to his average (.250 versus .198) but his OPS numbers ended up being similar at .664 and .646 respectively, mostly because of his increased walk rate against right-handed pitchers. There was a pretty significant difference in at-bats that may have contributed to the increased numbers against southpaws (smaller sample size, just 124 at-bats), which might make sense considering he a higher OPS against right-handers for his career.

It’s also notable that Polanco produced a .233 BA in away games and generated only a .193 BA at home, proving T-Mobile Park’s notoriety against hitters. While the switch hitter’s offensive performance wasn’t outstanding in 2024, he did generally perform well with men on base with a .236 BA compared to low and higher-leverage situations. To put it differently, Polanco still has the potential to become an effective medium and high-leverage hitter in situations that matter the most.

If there is any explanation for his underperformance, it could be the park factor – Seattle is known as the park that increases batters’ strikeout rates and is a tough place to hit the long ball– along with Polanco’s nagging knee injury. According to ESPN, the 31-year-old switch-hitter underwent surgery to repair his patellar tendon this October and will be ready for spring training. The upcoming season will be a test for Polanco as to whether he can recuperate his offensive abilities with the same or a new team.

Only good things happen for Jorge Polanco when Victor Robles is mic'd up! pic.twitter.com/7jUgVNcXzD

— MLB (@MLB) August 11, 2024

Jorge Polanco’s Contract

Initially, Polanco signed a 5-year, $25.75 million contract extension with Minnesota in 2019. While the Mariners had the opportunity to pick up Polanco’s $12 million club option, the team declined and ultimately sent Polanco to the open market this offseason. Seattle chose to move on from the infielder but this opens up an opportunity for another team to find to take him on a ‘prove-it’ deal this winter.

Spotrac has his average annual salary at $13.7 million but he may end up inking less due to the struggles in 2024 (even though they may have been heavily influenced by the park factor) and his most recent knee injury.

Jorge Polanco’s fit with the Blue Jays

Entering the 2024/2025 offseason, Polanco was one player who could have fit nicely into the Blue Jays given his on-base skills and the ability to hit between 10-20 home runs (and sometimes more) in a single campaign. The infield has a bit of a logjam given the prospect talent but Polanco’s veteran presence and switch-hitting abilities would fit nicely on the bench while letting the front office explore potential trade opportunities with some of their internal infielders.

The Blue Jays can certainly use a player who can produce consistently in the lineup to remedy the team’s continued offensive woes except finding space for Polanco will be difficult after the Jays acquired Andrés Giménez earlier this offseason, especially if the former Mariner is seeking a full-time playing opportunity. It is unlikely now that the Jays would be able to find space on the roster for someone like Polanco given the likes of Giménez, Ernie Clement, Will Wagner, and Leo Jimenez are all present on the team and able to cover the same positions for less money (outside of Giménez).

Should the price be right, Polanco would be a nice fit into the Blue Jays scheme but at this time, pursuing another bench-type infielder given the current roster holes should not be at the top of Ross Atkins’ priority list. If Polanco is still a free agent when Spring Training then maybe a deal can be struck but until then, the Jays have bigger fish to fry.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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