The Tampa Bay Rays pursued infielder Jorge Polanco in free agency before the veteran slugger signed a two year, $40M deal with the New York Mets.
In pursuing Polanco, it shows that the Rays ownership is willing to spend on free agents that they deem worthy of adding to the roster. In Polanco’s case, he is a veteran switch-hitter capable of playing all over the infield. It also shows that the Rays are trying to add more offense to their lineup or are possibly looking for potential replacements should they move forward with plans to trade Brandon Lowe and/or Yandy Diaz.
Polanco would have also addressed the Rays need for improvement against left-handed pitchers. This past season, the Rays registered a 85 wRC+ against left-handed pitching, placing them among the bottom 3rd of the league; Polanco had a 150 wRC+ against LHP and has a 100 wRC+ against them over his career.
The now 32-year old Polanco has been around for a long time, making his big league debut in 2014 at 20-years old. Over his career, spent majorally with the Minnesota Twins, Polanco has hit .263/.330/.442 with 154 HR, registering a 112 wRC+ and accruing 18.3 fWAR. Most recently, Polanco spent the 2025 season with the Seattle Mariners, enjoying the best offensive season of his career as he hit .265/.326/.495 with 26 HR, registering a 132 wRC+ and accruing 2.6 fWAR.
Alas, the Rays must move on from Polanco and will look to address their offense through other means. Perhaps through a trade for Ketel Marte, like was being reported during the Winter Meetings, or possibly by adding a free agent who has not yet been named publicly.
