The Mets made their first move after the Winter Meetings exodus of Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, signing veteran Jorge Polanco to a two year, $40m contract this afternoon.
Polanco is an interesting signing
for a myriad of reasons. The switch hitting veteran, who will turn 33 during the 2026 campaign, has been a steady presence in any lineup since his 2016 debut. He comes to Queens a career .263/.330/.442 (112 wRC+) hitter, with 154 home runs, primarily as a shortstop and second baseman, and 29 games sprinkled in at third base to boot. He played ten seasons in Minnesota and his most recent two in Seattle. His best individual season was his most recent, as he hit .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs, good for a 132 wRC+, as a member of the Mariners.
The signing gains most of is interest comes on the defensive side of the diamond. As you can ascertain from the paragraph above, Polanco has extensive experience at positions the Mets have covered — second base with Marcus Semien, shortstop with Francisco Lindor, and third base with Brett Baty, who was one of the few bright spots last season. The initial reporting suggests a position change in the cards for Polanco, as the switch hitter is likely to see the bulk of his time at first base and designated hitter.
While it is a leap of faith to convert a player to a new position, it has been done successfully in the recent past with first basemen, namely Willson Contreras (+6 OAA in 2025), and Bryce Harper (+1 OAA in 2025). The bar is also very low for a defensive first base upgrade at Citi Field, as Pete Alonso had the second worst OAA amongst first basemen in 2025 (-9). His bat last year would play at first as well, as his 132 wRC+ would rank sixth at the position, below Ben Rice (133 wRC+) and Bryce Harper (131 wRC+).
He also allows you to build out a more flexible lineup, as he can play all over the infield in case of injury, is comfortable as a designated hitter, as he has done so in 134 games in his career, and in 89 games last season.
Polanco is the first of likely many moves President of Baseball Operations David Stearns will do to remake this roster after the brutal collapse to end the 2025 season.
