Astros interested in free-agent infielder with curious role in mind

MLB: Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners, yankees, jorge polanco
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The Houston Astros are looking for a left fielder. They want the bulk of Yordan Alvarez’s playing time to come from the designated hitter spot. They also need a third baseman, which is why they are back in the race for Alex Bregman. Now they are beginning to consider potential alternatives for their infield and also left field positions, with one intriguing second baseman being brought up in a recent report.

Astros reportedly interested in signing Jorge Polanco to play in left field

The Astros have an “ongoing interest” in signing free-agent second baseman Jorge Polanco, per a recent report from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. According to Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Houston could experiment with Polanco in left field if they land him (h/t MLB Trade Rumors).

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics, yankees, jorge polanco
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Signing Polanco to play in left field would be an experiment by the Astros. Polanco, who is not a very good defensive second baseman, hasn’t played the outfield since he was in rookie ball more than a decade ago. Houston reportedly has a six-year offer in the $150 million range on the table for Bregman, but given the league-wide interest in him, that’s unlikely to get it done, which could cause them to pivot and make Polanco their top priority.

The Astros would be banking on Polanco returning to form

Polanco played through a knee injury for much of last season, and his stats certainly reflect that. He had a career-worst performance, slashing .213/.296/.355 (92 wRC+) with the Seattle Mariners before going under the knife.

As cheap as Polanco is expected to be given the question marks surrounding him, getting him could potentially push the Astros over the $241 million tax threshold. It’s possible that Houston might need to shed more salary even after trading Ryan Pressly.

Polanco is expected to be ready for Opening Day. The Astros would be banking on a return to form to the 115-125 wRC+ guy he was from 2021-23 because he would be fully healthy and still 32, theoretically in his prime.

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