SEATTLE — “Run it back” might go down as the Mariners’ mantra of the offseason.
Once that deal was solidified, the Mariners squarely shifted their sights to another reunion with a key cog from its 2025 roster who, like Naylor, also reached free agency: Jorge Polanco.
“Polo is a great guy, and we have been in touch with him and his people,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said.
He’s said to be seeking a multiyear deal and for notably more than the number he declined. Some have speculated that a deal comparable to what the Mariners gave Mitch Garver two years ago (two years and $24 million) might be palatable for both parties.
Yet, because the Hot Stove season hasn’t truly gotten into full swing — Naylor was the sport’s first notable free agent to sign, and even that was earlier than expected — any deal for Polanco, in Seattle or elsewhere, likely won’t materialize in the immediate future.
The Winter Meetings in Orlando are still two weeks away, and typically the top of the market moves first before the next tier of players sign. For context, Polanco didn’t return to the Mariners last offseason until Feb. 3, on a one-year, $7.75 million contract that included the vesting option, and that was also due to the knee surgery he was coming off of. It was also a full three months after the Mariners declined a $12 million club option they held on him after 2024.
“I don’t imagine that it’s going to move as fast as it moved with Josh. … To get to free agency, it’s rewarding,” Dipoto said. “To go out and see, to be loved, it’s not a bad thing when you get a chance to see what’s behind the other door.”
Polanco is expected to have a more robust market this winter. But as was the case with Naylor, who badly wanted to return but only if the Mariners were also able to make a competitive offer, what could favor Seattle is Polanco’s comfort here. After all, it’s why he returned for 2025 after an injury-plagued ’24, despite interest from big-market teams like the Yankees and Astros last offseason.
“The guys who come here, the comfort that they feel, the environment that they’re in, I do believe that,” Dipoto said. “I don’t want to speak for Jorge, but I think his experiences were similar to Josh.”
Polanco crushed 26 homers in the regular season — his most since a career-high 33 in 2021 — then another three in the playoffs, when he was one of Seattle’s most productive players en route to the American League Championship Series. Overall, he slashed .265/.326/.495 (.821 OPS) with 30 doubles, 78 RBIs, a 15.6% strikeout rate (almost half his 2024 rate of 29.2%) and an 8% walk rate in 524 plate appearances across 138 games before October.
Signing Naylor this early allows Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander to address the rest of their offseason agenda, and they are in a more advantageous position to do so, given that first base presented a far more glaring question mark than their other needs — at second and third base.
Seattle already has in-house options at those spots among Cole Young, Leo Rivas and Ryan Bliss at second base, and Ben Williamson at third, with No. 1 prospect Colt Emerson also expected to be in the mix at either spot come Spring Training.
Beyond Polanco, the Mariners have toyed with the idea of bringing back Eugenio Suárez, who also reached free agency. But that’s not as high of a priority as Polanco, who switch-hits and could be a solid option at designated hitter.
“Now we can be selective in the things we want to do, and adding other players and filling holes we still feel like we need to fill,” Dipoto said. “And we weren’t going to do anything until we knew that Josh was back in the fold.”
