One of the best recruiting tools teams have are their stars. Sometimes teams can do everything they can to court a player in free agency, presenting their organization and its resources in positive, creative lights, only for the player to go to a team that has a more complete roster in place already.
The departures of Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso have left the Mets with a depleted roster, but two stars remain, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. The presence of those two helped the Mets land Jorge Polanco on a two-year, $40 million contract earlier this month.
“I think from a team standpoint, we have so many great players who want to win,” Polanco said Monday in a Zoom press conference. “Playing with Francisco Lindor, playing with Juan Soto, and just knowing how they treat the game and how they go about the game, and the type of leaders that they are. I’m very excited to be a part of this team because I knew this team wanted to win, so it’s a good spot for me.”
A vacancy at first base was another aspect that attracted Polanco to the Mets. Last year with the Seattle Mariners, the career middle infielder started work to learn the corner position. He ended up getting into exactly one game at first base and manning the position for exactly one batter.
It’s what made the acquisition even more strange. President of baseball operations David Stearns has spent the entirety of the offseason hammering home the need for “run prevention” and improve defensive fundamentals, especially at first base. Alonso was allowed to walk to Baltimore in part because the Mets sought a defensive upgrade. Without any real history at the position, Polanco can’t be considered an upgrade or a downgrade at the position, at least not yet.
Still, he has some foundational knowledge of the position with the work he put into learning it last season. He told teams in free agent meetings that he was open to playing first, second or third base, and he seems eager for a new challenge.
“When the Mets asked if I was able to play a little bit of first base and a little bit of third, I was definitely willing to do that right away,” Polanco said through a team translator.
Polanco often went to the ballpark early to put in work with Seattle’s infield coach, Perry Hill, and bench coach, Manny Acta, at first base. Their coaching helped him grow comfortable enough to be able to take on a new role with a new team.
A switch-hitter coming off of a 26-homer season, Polanco will be tasked with providing protection behind Soto in the order. A knee injury limited him in 2024, his first season in Seattle after having spent nearly 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, but Polanco bounced back in his age-32 season hitting .265 with an .821 OPS. A mechanical change helped him cut down on his swing-and-misses, cutting his strikeout rate nearly in half, from 29.2% in 2024 to 15.6% last season.
In the playoffs, Polanco hit .208 to help the Mariners reach Game 7 of the ALCS.
“I have a hitting coach that I’ve been working with, and we kind of got back to where I was early on in my career where I wasn’t striking out as much and I was putting the ball more in play,” Polanco said. “I was really battling.”
Ultimately, what Polanco saw in the Mets was an opportunity to play for a team that has big aspirations and resources for individual players to utilize. The star power might not be what it was last season, but the big two were big enough for Polanco when he considered the full scope of what the Mets were offering him.
“It was definitely surprising that they both left, but at the same time, it’s also a business,” Polanco said. “Edwin Diaz is one of the best closers in baseball, and Pete is one of the best first basemen in baseball. So it did surprise me a bit, but once you get into free agency, the business side takes over.”
