Mariners Expected To Cut Ties With $12 Million All-Star; Should Royals Pounce?
The Kansas City Royals have Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop, which is a blessing. But who will play next to him in 2025?
Second base was a problem spot for the Royals last season, much like third base and all three outfield spots. The Kansas City lineup was league-average despite Witt's otherworldly contributions, and the front office must act decisively to avoid a similar fate in 2025.
Second base was manned by a combination of Michael Massey and Maikel Garcia, both of whom could still be effective utility infielders. But the Royals need a full-time starter, and perhaps revitalizing a former All-Star who had a down year in 2024 could be the way do go.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco had a rough year after arriving in the Northwest via trade from the Minnesota Twins. Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston recently predicted that the Mariners would let Polanco walk, while ranking him as the third-best second baseman in the current free-agent class.
"Polanco's first season in Seattle marked one of the worst offensive campaigns of his 11-year career. And while he has never been a great defender, he was among the worst defensive second basemen in the league in 2024. Those issues could be attributed to a knee injury that required surgery," Leger said.
"All of this likely means the Mariners won't pick up Polanco's $12 million option, so he should be a fairly affordable bounce-back candidate for teams looking to add some pop to their infield."
Polanco, 31, had a career-low .651 OPS in 118 games for Seattle this season. It marked the continuation of an unfortunate trend for the Mariners, who can't seem to find a veteran hitter who knows how to produce in their home ballpark.
At the same time, Polanco is a former All-Star (2019 with the Twins), and had three straight seasons of an OPS+ of at least 114 before going to the Mariners. He's also had success in the American League Central before, so the Royals could be something of a familiar environment.
At this point, Kansas City needs to try something different. And Polanco's ceiling is so much higher than the Royals' in-house options that it makes complete sense to take a flier.
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Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org