Seattle Mariners second baseman had an extremely rough season in his first year in Seattle, and now in the offseason, it was announced that he underwent surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee and expects to be ready for the beginning of spring training.
From Jeff Passan of ESPN: "Polanco, 31, a switch-hitter acquired last winter by the Mariners, struggled with knee pain in recent years. While it grew more problematic through the 2024 season, Polanco tried to play through it and saw his offensive output crater, sources said.
It affected Polanco particularly from the left side of the plate, where he hit .198/.301/.345 in 2024 -- an OPS more than 150 points below his career average entering the season. In 118 games, Polanco hit .213/.296/.355 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs for the Mariners, who finished a game back of a postseason berth."
While the article from ESPN states that Jorge Polanco is going to be ready for Spring Training, it's still not evident what team he will be on at that point.
The Seattle Mariners might keep Polanco, and they might not, it all depends what they can do this offseason at the 2B position. Polanco has a team-option from the Mariners for $12 million, or a $750,000 buyout that they must decided by November.
If you ask Mariners fans, it would become pretty clear that they don't think the Mariners should pay underperforming Jorge Polanco $12 million, but knowing the Mariners, there is a chance this is the best option they will have at second base.