Mets Proceed Their Overhaul by Including Jorge Polanco

The remaking of the Mets continues apace. After shedding fan favorites Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso to different groups in free company final week, the Mets took a step in direction of changing the latter by signing switch-hitting infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year, $40 million deal on Saturday. Although he has virtually no expertise at first base, the Mets imagine he can be taught the place properly sufficient for it to be his main place.

The 32-year-old Polanco most likely isn’t the primary participant anybody regarded as an Alonso substitute, significantly given the bigger-ticket free brokers on the market and the Mets’ spending energy, however he’s coming off a robust season on the plate (.265/.326/.495/, 132 wRC+ with 26 homers) for the Mariners in addition to a memorable October. Although he hit simply .208/.269/.417 (95 wRC+) in 52 plate appearances throughout the postseason, his two homers off the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal powered Seattle to a 3-2 win in Sport 2 of the Division Collection, and his bases-loaded single off Tommy Kahnle within the fifteenth inning of Sport 5 gave the crew its first postseason collection victory in 24 years. Within the ALCS opener in opposition to the Blue Jays, he drove within the Mariners’ final two runs with RBI singles of their 3-1 win, then hit a three-run homer off Louis Varland that gave Seattle the lead for good in Sport 2. Alas, he went simply 2-for-17 the remainder of the way in which because the Mariners fell to the Blue Jays in seven video games.

Polanco, who spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners and earlier than that components of 10 seasons with the Twins, has performed primarily second base and shortstop throughout his main league profession, although he hasn’t performed the latter place since 2022, and the defensive metrics attest that it’s not a good suggestion anymore. Even at second base, his metrics have descended into the pink, to the purpose that he was primarily a delegated hitter final season following an October 2024 surgical procedure to restore his left patellar tendon. He amassed -2 DRS and -3 FRV in simply 287.1 innings at second in 2024, and -1 DRS and -8 FRV in 925.1 innings there the 12 months earlier than.

With Francisco Lindor and current commerce acquisition Marcus Semien, the Mets have the center infield coated anyway, so president of baseball operations David Stearns has indicated he as an alternative envisions Polanco as a primary baseman who can even DH and supply insurance coverage on the different infield positions. He has precisely one pitch {of professional} expertise at first, from an April 6 sport in opposition to the Giants in San Francisco. He entered a tie sport within the backside of the ninth as a part of a lineup shuffle after Victor Robles fractured the humeral head of his left shoulder whereas making a spectacular catch. With Miles Mastrobuoni transferring from third base to proper area and Dylan Moore from first to 3rd, Polanco entered the sport at first base. On the subsequent pitch from Gregory Santos, Wilmer Flores ripped a groundball to the left of second baseman Ryan Bliss, bringing house Luis Matos with the profitable run.

The Mets are banking that Polanco’s athleticism and willingness to be taught the brand new place shall be sufficient. If that concept appears dangerous (inform ’em, Wash), not less than the bar to interchange him on that facet of the ball couldn’t be any decrease. Alonso ranked final in each DRS (-9) and FRV (-8) in 2025 and made quite a few throws that imperiled pitchers. A kind of dangerous tosses, to Kodai Senga on June 12, marked the turning level of the Mets’ season, because the pitcher strained his proper hamstring reaching for the ball; Senga missed a month and pitched poorly thereafter, whereas the Mets, 45-24 on the time, went 38-55 the remainder of the way in which and missed the playoffs.

Changing Alonso’s bat is a a lot taller process. Polanco’s 132 wRC+ represented a profession excessive; it matches Alonso’s profession mark and is just 9 factors in need of what the departed first baseman put up final 12 months, however it was additionally the primary time Polonco had posted a mark of 120 or higher since 2021. He battled leg accidents in 2022, ’23, and ’24, with a number of bouts of left knee irritation and strains of each hamstrings sending him to the injured record, and as famous, he underwent surgical procedure after the 2024 season. Although he was able to go at first of 2025, a minor indirect pressure in late March prevented him from hitting right-handed for a five-week span, from April 1 by Could 5. Try the early-season imbalance in plate appearances versus pitchers of every handedness:

For his profession, Polanco owns a 116 wRC+ in opposition to righties, in comparison with 100 in opposition to lefties. Largely shielded from the latter by the primary two months of 2025, he was red-hot in April, even tying for fourth within the majors in homers. He then went ice chilly in Could and June earlier than heating up once more; from July 1 onward, he was the Mariners’ best hitter, posting a 153 wRC+, forward of Julio Rodríguez (147), Dominic Canzone (141), Cal Raleigh and deadline acquisition Josh Naylor (each 137). He completed with a career-best 150 wRC+ (.305/.345/.543 in 114 PA) in opposition to lefties and a 127 wRC+ (.254/.321/.481 in 410 PA) in opposition to righties.

Polanco owes his massive season to an overhaul of his offensive sport. In his mid-20s with the Twins, he’d demonstrated the flexibility to hit for energy with out sacrificing contact, batting .295/.356/.485 (120 wRC+) with 22 homers and a 16.5% strikeout price in 2019 and .269/.323/.503 (124 wRC+) with 33 homers and an 18.3% strikeout price in ’21. To that time, his strikeout charges had all the time remained beneath 20%, however he was above 21% yearly from 2022-24, with a excessive of 29.2% within the final of these years, the worst full-season efficiency of his profession (.213/.296/.355, 93 wRC+). He reduce that just about in half in 2025, to fifteen.6%, and improved his in-zone contact price from 82.1% to 88.1%, with simplified mechanics. As Andrea Arcadipane detailed at The Athletic in Could whereas specializing in his left-handed swing, he positioned his arms increased than in 2024, and went from a dramatic leg elevate to a extra delicate one, permitting him to switch his weight extra successfully. His remaining Statcast bat-tracking numbers illustrate how dramatically he closed each of his stances, and the way his common bat velocity improved, together with his squared-up and blast charges each enhancing considerably whereas batting left-handed:

With these revamped mechanics, Polanco’s common exit velocity improved from 88.3 mph in 2024 to a career-high 90.8 mph in ’25, together with his barrel price rising from 8.9% to 10.3% and his hard-hit price from 37.2% to 45.8%; percentile-wise, these 2025 figures ranked from the 62nd to 66th percentiles. Right here’s a take a look at the breakdown by handedness, alongside together with his anticipated stats:

From the left facet — the a lot bigger pattern — Polanco improved dramatically, together with his precise numbers intently resembling his anticipated ones. From the proper facet, he hit the ball more durable than in 2024, however not practically as laborious as from the left facet, although he nonetheless managed to supply a slugging share properly past his anticipated numbers. If there’s regression forward, that’s the place it’s almost definitely to occur.

Polanco isn’t the marquee free agent Mets followers have been hoping for, and at $20 million a 12 months, he isn’t precisely a cut price. Nonetheless, the ZiPS projection supplied by Dan Szymborski isn’t out of line with the deal:

ZiPS suggests a $34 million contract for these two years, but when the adjustments Polanco made in 2025 can maintain, he’s received an inexpensive shot of being extra invaluable; even when he merely matches it, he’s not a long-term legal responsibility. His deal shouldn’t preclude the Mets’ pursuit of Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger, and the crew nonetheless has a variety of different gamers who may both be a part of their infield or assist them make an impression transfer by way of commerce. Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña, and Mark Vientos are all younger and cost-controlled, and pending free agent Jeff McNeil is a commerce candidate as properly. Baty is penciled in as the first third baseman after a breakout season, whereas Vientos may very well be ticketed for a backup first base/DH position after slipping from a 27-homer, 132-wRC+ 2024 efficiency to a 17-homer, 97-wRC+ displaying in ’25. He hit .233/.289/.413 and was dreadful (-10 DRS, -6 FRV) in 556 innings at third base, and with simply 112 main league innings at first base, the Mets apparently see him as an excessive amount of of a threat to construct right into a beginning position.

Filling Alonso’s footwear gained’t be simple, however as this deal suggests, Polanco gained’t be anticipated to take action alone. The excellent news is that it’s nonetheless December, the Mets have appreciable flexibility with their roster — they’ll even add one other first base/DH choice to the combination if the chance presents itself — and the massive items are nonetheless on the board. We’ll see the place Stearns goes subsequent in overhauling his squad.