The Minnesota Twins made their first big move of the offseason on Monday night, trading second baseman Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners, league sources tell Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
To complete a deal that was expected all season due to the Twins' infield depth, the team sent its longest-tenured player to the Pacific Northwest in exchange for four players, including right-handers Justin Topa and outfielder Anthony DeSclafani. prospect Gabriel Gonzalez and pitching prospect Darren Bowen, according to a team source.
Polanco, who debuted for the Twins in 2014 and plays primarily second base but was an All-Star at shortstop in 2019, hit .255/.335/.454 with 14 home runs and 48 RBIs in 80 games last season. A switch-hitter and solid defender at second base, Polanco provides Seattle with an offensive-minded infielder that the team desperately needs.
The Twins have always had strong interest in Polanco, who moved from shortstop to second after the 2020 season. But with the team looking to trim payroll, Edouard Julien looking like a star, top prospect Brooks Lee nearing completion and other positions needing to be filled, it was expected that the Twins would try to trade Polanco, the earned $10.5 million this season and also has a $12 million player option for 2025.
Although the Mariners had several options at second, including Dylan Moore, Jose Rojas and Sam Haggerty, Polanco offers a much better bat — he has a career 111 OPS-plus — and versatility in transition.
The Twins made it clear in November that they expected to take a payroll cut — potentially as much as $30 million — after spending a club-record $154 million in 2023.
The Twins allowed veteran starters Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda to leave via free agency earlier this offseason and also did not re-sign slugger Joey Gallo. Those and other departures already reduced the Twins' estimated 2024 payroll to around $125 million for the upcoming season before they traded Polanco.
With a flood of talented infielders including Julien, Lee, Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Kyle Farmer, Jose Miranda, Alex Kirilloff – as well as utility players Willi Castro, Nick Gordon and Austin Martin – the Twins had been trying to trade Polanco since the end the last season.
Polanco became a full-time player in 2017 and immediately emerged as an invaluable slugger and matchup nightmare at the top of the lineup. He earned a total of 32 third-place finishes for a 2017 club that secured a surprise Wild Card spot, bouncing back from an 80-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs in 2018.
Polanco had a breakout 2019, hitting .295/.356/.485 with 22 homers and 79 RBIs for a Twins “Bomba Squad” that set the all-time single-season home run record with 307 round-trippers. Polanco followed up his 2019 performance with even more power in 2021, hitting a career-high 33 home runs and batting in 98 runs.
But in recent seasons, Polanco's health declined. After struggling with ankle injuries in 2019 and 2020, Polanco suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss the final 37 games of the 2022 season and remained through the 2023 season. Despite offseason rehab efforts, Polanco began the 2023 season on the injured list as he suffered a setback near the end of spring training.
Although his knee healed and he made his debut on April 21, Polanco was later slowed by two hamstring injuries. He went on the IL in May and June, missing a total of 53 games and not returning until July 28.
After returning, Polanco ended up staying on the field and striking out the rest of the field. Polanco played in 50 of his team's final 57 games and posted an OPS of .817. The Twins had a 30-20 record in those games.
The move gives the twins some financial flexibility to address other needs.
Although Chris Paddack is expected to return to the rotation, the Twins need another starting pitcher and could use help in the outfield at fullback if Byron Buxton's knee doesn't hold up. The team has been mulling a trade for Polanco, Farmer and Max Kepler all winter, hoping to trade major league needs for needs.
(Top photo: Jorge Polanco: Ron Schwane / Getty Images)