Why You Should Buy a Bounce Back Year for Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver and Randy Arozarena
Last year, the Seattle Mariners made two significant offseason moves that were designed to upgrade the team's offense: Trading for infielder Jorge Polanco and signing designated hitter Mitch Garver.
Neither move panned out the way Seattle wanted as Polanco hit just .213 with 16 homers and 45 RBIs, while battling a season-long knee injury. Garver struggled even more, hitting .172 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs. He lost his hold on the designated hitter job and was relegated to being a backup catcher.
The M's also went out and acquired Randy Arozarena at the trade deadline and they saw him hit .231 with five homers during his 54 games.
Now, T-Mobile Park is known to be a difficult place to hit, but there is a major reason why you should be willing to buy a bounce back year from each player: Comfort. Moving to a new place, hitting in a new ballpark, meeting new teammates, living up to a trade or a contract, it can all be taxing on a player.
In year two, with those feelings subsided and those relationships made, there's reason to believe each player can contribute greater in 2025. Former All-Star and current MLB Network host Sean Casey echoed that sentiment on a recent episode of our "Refuse to Lose" podcast.
It matters more. Being comfortable matters more. Being around the guys, knowing that, you know, this team's your team and these guys care about you and all that stuff. So I think those guys are going to have bounce back years. They're too good of players. That park plays big, but I think the more you play in it, you know, 'hey, why is Julio Rodriguez still one of the best players in the game in a big park?' I mean all those guys you just named can hit the ball of that ballpark. And there's more space, to get hits. So I think it's more of a comfort thing than it is the ballpark thing.
You can listen to the full interview with Casey as part of the podcast that appears below:
The Mariners open the season on March 27 against the Athletics at T-Mobile Park.
Related Stories on Seattle Mariners
NEW PODCAST IS OUT! Brady is back for another episode of "Refuse to Lose," where he talks about the latest George Kirby injury update, the battle for the final roster spots and more, including Randy Johnson showing up at camp. Also, our Mariners on SI reporter Teren Kowatsch stops by, live from Peoria. CLICK HERE:
MARTINEZ MOVING ON: Seth Martinez, who the Mariners picked up earlier this offseason, is on the move to Miami. CLICK HERE:
MORE TO WORRY WITH KIRBY? Buster Olney of ESPN joined a recent episode of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast and discussed the M's injury situation with George Kirby. CLICK HERE:
Follow Seattle Mariners on SI on social media
Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE.
