Aug 18, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of a Seattle Mariners ball cap and glove during the game between the Texas Rangers and the Seattle Mariners at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Mariners defeat the Rangers 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Mariners Predicted To Sign Familiar $35 Million Free Agent

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Nov 25, 2025 10:18 AM ET

One successful reunion down for the Seattle Mariners. What comes next?

Now that Josh Naylor has been restored to his Mariners uniform for more than a week, Seattle fans are rightfully feeling greedy. Who will become the team's next signature signing of this critical offseason?

In keeping with the reunion theme, one baseball writer sees the Mariners brokering a new deal with the batter who got them to their first American League Championship Series since 2001.

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Will Mariners bring back Jorge Polanco for a third season?

On Tuesday, Andy McCullough of The Athletic predicted that the Mariners' biggest signing of the rest of this offseason would be Jorge Polanco, who put together one of the best seasons of his career during the regular season after signing a cheap deal to rejoin Seattle last winter.

"Part of what makes this offseason so interesting is that so many teams appear interested in re-signing free agents," McCullough wrote. "Seattle already demonstrated as much.

"The five-year deal for Naylor demonstrated president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto’s desire to get the band back together. Polanco took some of the biggest swings for the Mariners during their run to the American League Championship Series."

Polanco, who is entering his age-33 season, put up a career-best 134 OPS+ and belted 26 home runs during the regular season, then had a memorable playoff run marked by a two-homer game against Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and the walk-off in the 15th inning of Game 5 that clinched the American League Division Series.

As an added bonus, he could play second or third base if he's at full health, which would help the Mariners choose between Cole Young, Colt Emerson, and Ben Williamson as the final starter on their opening day infield.

Polanco was projected for a two-year, $35 million deal earlier this offseason by The Athletic's Tim Britton. It's certainly a risk to quintuple the total dollar amount of the commitment the Mariners made to Polanco last offseason, but it might prove worthwhile.

More MLB: Mariners 20-Year-Old Rising Star Shaping Seattle's Offseason Decisions: Report

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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