ORLANDO, Fla. — The Mariners arrived at the Winter Meetings with two big items checked off their offseason wish list. But they are not done.
A reunion with Jorge Polanco is still on the table, but there’s a disparity in price point between the club and the veteran’s representatives at Octagon.
“We’ll leave that to your imagination,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “We’ve been in touch. And like I said, the market will move when the market moves.”
Polanco is seeking a more lucrative deal than the one-year, $6 million vesting player option he declined last month. Sources have said that the ask has been as high as four years and at an average annual value costlier than what he turned down, which could be steeper than the Mariners are willing to go — given that Polanco turns 33 in July and that the club has a promising group of infield prospects that will be part of its longer-term plans.
But Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander would like a bridge to that younger group, and preferably one that could mix in at designated hitter. They also covet Polanco’s switch-hit tool and chemistry within Seattle’s clubhouse.
“We obviously have interest in Jorge,” Dipoto said. “He’s spent two years with us. He’s a great guy and fits us well.
“I can’t tell you whether or not we will wind up being the team that reels him in. But we also have to spread a wider net than that, with the more likely reality being that you wind up somewhere, moving in a different direction, because that’s just the odds. But we’ll engage, and we will remain connected to him.”
Sans Polanco or any other external infielder, the Mariners are constructed to enter Spring Training with Cole Young as the favorite at second base, while third base could be decided between Ben Williamson (arguably their best defensive player) and Colt Emerson (their No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline). Ryan Bliss, who missed nearly all of 2025 with biceps and knee injuries, will also be in the mix at second, and Leo Rivas will have a utility infield bench role.
“The combination of what they do, wanting to give them runway, is important to our future growth,” Dipoto said. “And for our current team, having the experienced bat who can go in and balance out a lineup, who might be able to play some of those positions defensively. And I would add first base. We don’t have an obvious first-base backup for [Naylor] on the roster.
“So finding somebody in that mix. And maybe it’s one player or maybe it’s two, but that’s the profile we’re looking for, is somebody that does the things like ‘Polo’ did for us last year.”
The Mariners have also been linked to Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand has reported that rebuilding St. Louis could be motivated to move him. Donovan’s 13% strikeout rate was in Statcast’s 92nd percentile, and he’s also capable of playing left field and shortstop — which could make him even more valuable in Seattle, after the club moved on from utility man Dylan Moore in August.
That said, Donovan would cost a hefty prospect package. He has two years remaining before free agency, and there are plenty of other contending teams that have been linked to him, such as the Yankees, Dodgers, Royals and Guardians, per Feinsand.
The other big name that has been floated is Arizona’s Ketel Marte, who has been the sport’s third-most productive second baseman by FanGraphs’ WAR since the Mariners traded him to the D-backs ahead of the 2017 season. Dipoto and Hollander have a strong working relationship with Arizona general manager Mike Hazen, having orchestrated the blockbuster trades for Naylor and Eugenio Suárez in July.
Marte, however, would cost more than just high-end prospects, as he’s owed $91 million over the next five years — a nearly identical amount to the contract that Naylor just signed. And that length could logjam the other infielders the Mariners want to continue developing. Moreover, Hazen’s clearest needs are MLB-ready starting pitchers, which Seattle won’t deal.
“Right now, I would say that is more likely to be a free agent than a trade,” Dipoto said. “But that could change. We’re not opposed to either. But if we’re going to acquire more than a bat, I would say that it’s going to be some combination of the two.”
