The Mets’ shakeup for 2026 continued on December 13, as the team will reportedly sign veteran infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year deal. Polanco had a strong 2025 with the Seattle Mariners after he posted a .611 OPS in his first season in the Pacific Northwest.
A Look at Polanco
Last season, Jorge Polanco had to take a show-me deal with the Mariners after a tough injury-shortened 2024 season. This past year, Polanco proved to be a very productive hitter for a Seattle team that came just shy of the World Series.
Polanco hit 26 home runs for the Mariners last season, his most in a single year since 2021. He started the year off with a bang, as he blasted eight home runs over 64 plate appearances in April. Then, he began to scuffle.
He slashed just 186/.254/.256 (.511 OPS) between May and June. His .511 OPS was the third-lowest (min. 150 PA) in that span, behind only Brenton Doyle and Alex Verdugo.
However, Polanco turned on the jets in the second half, as he hit 11 home runs. Polanco sported a 1.014 OPS in September.
Polanco is a pull-heavy hitter who can, as obviously looking from the numbers above, hit for power. He’s also someone who, on some occasions, got chase-happy. The good thing about Polanco, though, is that he does have a history of working counts and taking walks. Polanco posted a BB% north of 9.8% every season between 2022 and 2024.
There are two main problems. One, Polanco has a rich injury history.
Polanco dealt with myriad injuries between the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. Low back tightness, a right hamstring strain, left knee inflammation, and a left hamstring strain were among the injuries he had that forced him on the IL during those three years.
Two, Polanco has never been a strong defender. Polanco sported a -10 OAA in 2024. He has experience playing second and third. However, last season, he spent most of his plate appearances as a DH.
From a splits perspective, Polanco has a history of hitting both lefties and righties well. In the year (2021) that Polanco hit 33 home runs, he sported an .800+ OPS from both sides of the plate. He did the same in 2025. Twenty-one of his 26 home runs were against righties, although that’s not surprising given he faces right-handed pitchers far more than lefties.
Per the New York Post and ESPN, Jorge Polanco will sign with the Mets on a two-year deal worth $40MM. Polanco is expected to primarily play first base and DH.
Analysis
After losing Pete Alonso and trading away Brandon Nimmo, the Mets had to add a power bat or two to try to replace their impact. Polanco can help in that regard.
When healthy, Polanco has the ability to drive in runs. And, possibly more importantly, also provide protection for the top two hitters in the order — Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto — come 2026.
However, there is an obvious risk with adding Polanco. Aside from the streakiness, there’s also the lengthy injury history to take into account. The good news is that the Mets reportedly plan to use him as a 1B/DH.
We’ll see how well Polanco takes to first. Polanco only has one game of experience at first, which came in 2025 with Seattle. The Mets won’t need him to play second base with Marcus Semien on the roster. Nor at third, as Brett Baty established himself as a solid defender.
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