With Jorge Polanco’s Departure in Free Agency, Where Do the Mariners Go From Here?
By Jeffrey Nooney
Seattle, WA - Our Seattle Mariners will have to navigate the 2026 season without one of their key players from last year, second baseman Jorge Polanco. Polanco signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets last week. Last season, Polanco played in 138 games, slashing .265/.326/.495/.821 with an OPS+ of 134. He smashed 26 home runs and drove in 76 runs. That was the best production the Mariners have had from a second baseman since the days of Robinson Cano. The Mets plan on using Polanco as their first baseman and designated hitter, following the loss of their fan favorite first baseman, Pete Alonso, who signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
The Mariners originally acquired Polanco from the Minnesota Twins before the 2024 season in a trade that sent two major league arms and two prospects to the Twins. Polo struggled with both on-field production and health in his first season in Seattle and was even granted his release after the 2024 season. He signed back with the Mariners about two months later, turned what would have been a team option for the 2026 season into a player option, and chose to test the free-agent waters again. His decision paid off for him and his family. According to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, Seattle was Polo’s preferred destination, but the Mariners were simply outbid by a Mets that’s desperate to get an edge after a disappointing 2025 campaign.
Following Jorge Polanco’s departure, the Mariners have some serious questions as to how they replace Polanco’s production in the lineup. Just about any of the in-house candidates would be an absolute upgrade over Polanco defensively, the offensive production leaves some serious question marks. What will the Mariners do to replace Polanco at second base? There are options for the Mariners. They can promote from inside the organization or make a trade. The only real free agent at second base available is Willi Castro, but I don’t imagine the Mariners paying Castro at the moment.
Mariners in house options
The Mariners have plenty of options already under contract for the 2026 season. The obvious candidate would be former first round pick Cole Young. Young was called up last season and struggled a bit at the plate. He slashed .211/.302/.305/.607 with an OPS+ of just 78, 22% lower than league average. He struck out below league average and walked more than league average, but he struggled when he did put the ball in play. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was just .247, much lower than the league average of .291. BABIP shows how lucky or unlucky a player can be, and maybe He was a bit unlucky in 2025. He hit .279 throughout the minor leagues, so there will likely be some positive regression coming for Cole in 2026.
Another name to take a look at is Ryan Bliss. Bliss spent nearly all of the 2025 season on the injured list with a torn biceps muscle, suffered when his backswing hit Astros catcher Yanier Diaz. He then tore his meniscus while rehabbing down in Tacoma, ending his season. He should be back sometime during the spring, but it is not yet knows when he will be fully ready to go. Bliss was limited to just 39 plate appearances in 2025, and slashed .200/.282/.314/.596 with an OPS+ of 74, 26% lower than league average. Bliss has torn up the minor leagues, but he has not had the same opportunities at the Major League level. Bliss bats right handed, while the aforementioned Cole Young is a lefty, so a platoon of both Bliss and Young makes some sense, as long as Bliss is healthy.
Top prospect Colt Emerson may be given the chance to play at second base, but I think it is far more likely he is given the chance to win the third base job out of Spring Training. The Mariners did something similar with Julio Rodriguez, and it paid off. If a prospect breaks camp with the big league team and earns “Rookie of the Year”, which is certainly in the realm of possibility with Emerson, then the Mariners earn an extra first-round pick. Scouts view Emerson as a shortstop, and with J.P. Crawford only signed through the 2026 season, Emerson could move from third to shortstop at that time.
Mariners trade options
Maybe the biggest name being talked about is former Mariner Ketel Marte. Marte, who came up with the Mariners in 2015, was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks after the 2016 season, along with Taijuan Walker, in the trade that brought Jean Segura and Mitch Haniger to the Mariners. Marte then blossomed into one of the best second basemen in baseball, earning 35.6 career WAR (Wins above replacement). Marte will enter his age-32 season in 2026 and is signed through the 2030 season. He also has a player option for 2031 worth $11,500,000.
Over the last two seasons, Marte has been at his best. He has earned 11.2 WAR while slashing .288/.374/.539/.913 with an OPS+ of 150. He has hit 64 home runs over the last two seasons. Couple the production and the contract, and you can imagine that the cost to trade for him will be extremely high. Rumors have been swirling about the prospect package it would take to land Marte, and I do believe that it would cost top prospects and one of the Mariners’ starting pitchers (not Luis Castillo). I think the Mariners would balk at the idea of moving one of Gilbert, Kirby Woo or Miller, but to get Marte, the package would certainly start with one of those names. Laz Montes, Ryan Sloan and Jurrangelo Cijntje would also likely be in a package. That’s a lot of firepower to move for a second baseman, even the best second baseman in the game.
The next player that the Mariners have been linked to is St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan. Donovan is nowhere near as sexy a name as Ketel Marte, but Donovan would slot in nicely for the Mariners. Donovan will be entering his fifth season in the Majors in 2026, and has earned 11.1 WAR (0.1 less WAR than Marte over Marte’s last two seasons). Donovan has been called a super utility player, but he is much more than that. He won the Gold Glove as a utility player in 2022, and he can play all over the diamond. He can play Second base, third base, shortstop, and left field at a very high level.
Donovan is a player that Jerry Dipoto dreams of at night. His career strikeout rate is just 13.5, a full 9 points under league average. He also walks at a higher-than-league-average rate and maintains a steady batting average. He is not a home run hitter, but he provides some power. He has hit 40 home runs in his 1765 at-bats for his career. His career slash line is .282/.361/.411/.772 with an OPS+ of 117. He is a consistent hitter and could be the team’s leadoff hitter, something they have been searching for a long time.
The cost to land Donovan will be higher than some Mariners fans want to pay. The Athletic’s Katie Woo wrote that the Mariners and the San Francisco Giants are “frontrunners” for Donovan, and she floated the names of some big prospects that the Cardinals would want. Jurrangelo Cijntje and Lazaro Montes were discussed, and that may send Mariners fans into a spiral. As much as I love Montes, he struggled last season with a 30.5% strikeout rate. He hit just .213, but the power potential is beyond exciting. Cijntje is also exciting, but the Mariners have an abundance of pitching prospects and he is likely to be the one dealt should the Mariners pull the trigger.
Other players the Mariners could trade to fill the void at second base are Brandon Lowe of the Tampa Bay Rays, Bryson Stott from the Philadelphia Phillies, and Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs. Lowe is the most accomplished of the three names, though he is entering his 31st year and has been on a bit of a decline. Bryson Stott is a former top prospect, but his bat leaves a lot to be desired. Hoerner is one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball. He does not strike out and doesn’t walk as much as Donovan, but he does add value on the base paths, stealing 103 bases combined in his last three seasons. Lowe and Stott would likely cost less of a prospect haul than Donovan or Marte, but Hoerner could cost more than Donovan.
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