BREAKING: The Mets and infielder Jorge Polanco are in agreement on a two-year, $40 million contract, according to ESPN. The Mets look to make severe and drastic changes from a transformational week following the losses of Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso in free agency.
Polanco’s deal, which is pending a physical, does not include an opt-out or deferred money. The 12-year veteran sought a three-year deal in free agency but couldn’t find one, settling for a two-year pact with a high annual average value.
Polanco, 32, is expected to primarily play first base, replacing Alonso, and also serve as designated hitter, though he gives the Mets insurance around the diamond. Polanco was a shortstop to begin his major league career with the Minnesota Twins before transitioning to mainly second base and designated hitter with the Seattle Mariners over the past two seasons. Polanco has yet to log an inning at first base at the major league level.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has emphasized the need for the team to improve on defense after their disastrous 2025 season, and he has operated thus far this offseason with that priority in mind. First, he traded away Brandon Nimmo, a below-average left fielder and beloved homegrown Met, for Marcus Semien, an good second baseman, in an exchange of expensive veterans. This week, he watched Alonso, another adored homegrown star but subpar defender, sign a five-year, $155 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles without making an offer.
The Mets are banking on Polanco’s skill set as a former middle infielder making a transition to first base possible. And while Polanco’s defense has diminished in recent years, the switch-hitter remains a potent weapon in the batter’s box. He batted .265 with 26 home runs and an .821 OPS in 138 games for Seattle last season. He is a .263 career hitter with double-digit home runs in his past six full seasons.
Other options at first base and designated hitter for the Mets include Jeff McNeil and Mark Vientos. But that could change with McNeil available for trade, according to sources, and the Mets expected to continue making moves as Stearns overhauls a roster that fell well short of expectations last season.
I can’t imagine Polanco actually ends up being our first baseman. He’s played only one game there in his entire career. How does this improve the, “run prevention” with improved defense that Sterns has been yapping about? Stearns prefers to bring in bring in a player who’s going to be playing out of position because he’s cheaper than keeping Alonso. It’s a retarded baseball move. This is a small market baseball mentality that’s dressed up in a tuxedo.
Besides 1977, when the Mets traded away Tom Seaver and Dave Kingman, this is the most confusing offseason I’ve ever seen for the Mets. I hate to say it but the Mets are getting worse every day and it’s one of the worst off-seasons of their history. It’s times like these that I believe that we Mets fans know more on constructing a roster of our team than the ones in charge of baseball operations.
