The Yankees have shown interest in infielder Jorge Polanco, who Jack Curry of YES Network mentions as a potential candidate to get a one-year deal. Last season the Mariners struck a trade to land Polanco, hoping he could fill their need at second base and boost their offense, hopes that were dashed after a brutal start to his season. With a 0.3 fWAR and 92 wRC+, the only way the Yankees would likely import Polanco onto their roster would be through a one-year cheap contract, which would certainly be a gamble.
It wouldn’t just be the Yankees rolling the dice on his bat coming back to life, but it could also be them betting on their ability to have Polanco transition to a new position on the diamond.
Jorge Polanco Presents Interesting Infield Target For the Yankees
Jorge Polanco had a lot working against him during the 2024 season, not only did he deal with a knee issue that would require him to undergo surgery in the offseason, but Seattle only worsened the issue. With a 91 Park Factor, T-Mobile Park is by far the worst ballpark in the sport for offense, and that problem has only gotten worse this past season, where it was the most extreme run environment in the sport, surpassing Colorado’s Coors Field in its effect on run scoring.
10% more runs were observed at Coors Field this past season whereas T-Mobile Park saw 11% fewer runs observed there, creating a nasty run environment where strikeouts are inflated and home runs are impossible to come by. Some would point out that the Mariners had a middling offense that could have affected these numbers, but the proof is in the performance of their top pitchers at T-Mobile Park versus on the road:
Their pitchers went from utterly dominant to painfully average when pitching away from Seattle, with their home run rates rising and strikeout rates declining. It’s no surprise that Jorge Polanco saw his strikeout rates climb while seeing a sharp decline in offensive production to go with it, and coupled with his aforementioned knee injury, it puts into context a lost season that was doomed from the start.
Despite a bad ballpark and a knee that gave him issues throughout the season, Jorge Polanco still did a lot of good at the plate from a process standpoint, hitting the ball hard, making good swing decisions, and most importantly, pulling the ball in the air. He ranked in the 60th Percentile in SEAGER and had a .395 xwOBACON, but his biggest stepback came in his ability to make contact in-zone.
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Jorge Polanco’s Zone Contact rates declined from 2019-2022, but it came with improved game power, a conscious change made to ensure that he could keep doing damage on contact. 2023 was his crescendo; the power-hitting infielder saw his Zone Contact% tick up again while posting a .427 xwOBACON, a metric that measures how often a player does damage on contact, and it would be a career-best mark for him.
That was undone with his 2024 season, but as mentioned earlier, Seattle may have played a huge role in that steep regression. T-Mobile Park observed strikeouts at a much higher clip than any other Major League stadium and it isn’t particularly close either, Polanco’s splits suggest that his ability to make contact was hampered by the ballpark he called home that season.
With a 30.6% Whiff Rate at home and a 25.8% Whiff Rate on the road, the Yankees could solve some of Jorge Polanco’s offensive issues without having to make many changes themselves. Furthermore, his familiarity with current Yankees hitting coach James Rowson could play a role in the switch-hitter’s decision to head to the Bronx.
An interesting story regarding Rowson’s relationship with Polanco occurred in 2017 when the veteran infielder was a 23-year-old who hadn’t established himself in the league. He had been struggling for most of the season, getting benched after a brutal series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, where Rowson would give Polanco advice that changed his career forever.
“I know it’s hard, but I want you to look for the pitch you know you can hit. It doesn’t matter if they throw you a fastball down the middle. If down the middle’s not your zone, don’t swing at it.” – via Sports Illustrated
He posted a 146 wRC+ with 10 home runs after returning to the lineup in August, and from that point forward, Polanco would be a fixture in the middle of the Twins’ lineup. He posted a 116 wRC+ with 95 home runs in 621 games from 2018-2023, playing like a top-10 player at the second base position, and perhaps going back to the man who helped him cement his place in the Major Leagues is exactly what he needs.
The big questions here are health and defense; Polanco has only played 302 games over the last three seasons including just 118 last season, but that’s after a three-year run from 2019-2021 where he was rarely out of the lineup. I think the Yankees would be happy with ~130 games of play, as they could always have Oswaldo Cabrera get some work and give Polanco rest when needed.
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As for his defense, he’s been firmly below average at shortstop and second base, but perhaps third base ends up being the position he settles at. The Astros had interest in Jorge Polanco as a third baseman according to Ken Rosenthal, but after trading for Isaac Paredes, I doubt they’re still hunting for an infielder. He’s played 180 innings there in his MLB career with 1 DRS and -1 OAA, but his lack of elite range could be hidden at third, where his arm should be fine.
Overall, Jorge Polanco is a perplexing free-agent candidate. He might allow Jazz Chisholm to play second base which is good given how much I value range there, and I’m confident Polanco’s bat will return to prominence, but the injuries and uncertainty I’d have playing him at a new position give me pause. It’s better than doing nothing, and that’s why I would push for the Yankees to sign him, but it’s not irrational to be extremely skeptical of whether it would pan out or not.