Former Mariners prospect could make Jorge Polanco loss hurt even more in 2026

Not many people will argue that the Seattle Mariners' roster is better heading into the 2026 season compared to this time last year. And yet, you wouldn't blame fans (and the team) if they wish Jorge Polanco was still around, after everything he did for the M's during 2025 with a delightfully unexpected resurgence following a career-worst campaign in 2024.

It's also a shame due to Polanco himself previously indicating his preference had been to return to Seattle this year, but no one holds it against him for taking the two-year, $40 million deal the New York Mets offered him. However, now comes an intriguing development which might make the loss of the 2019 All-Star feel more like a double gut punch.

As fans may or may not remember, Gabriel Gonzalez was part of the Mariners' compensation package back in Jan. 2024 in return for acquiring Polanco from the Minnesota Twins. Gonzalez certainly wasn't an insignificant piece of the puzzle, with him being ranked at the time by MLB Pipeline as the M's No. 3 prospect as well as the No. 79 overall prospect in baseball.

Still, the Carupano, Venezuela native seemed like an expendable asset worth giving up in order to secure the trade for Polanco. This thought process was further reinforced in 2024 when he fell off the radar thanks to injuries, but since then he has rebounded in fine style and is now in an extremely promising position.

Gabriel Gonzalez is a hitting machine

Last season saw Gonzalez begin to get back into a zone as he managed to hit over .300 at three different levels in the minors for the Twins, including .316 (with a .862 OPS) in 34 games for Triple-A St. Paul. And don't look now, but he has since earned his reward for persevering through adversity, by being added to the Twins' 40-man roster.

The right-handed bat admittedly isn't presently ranked as highly as when he first arrived in Minnesota, but he's at least trending in the right direction again. Baseball America currently ranks him as the Twins' No. 10 prospect, and while MLB Pipeline has yet to reveal their 2026 preseason top 30 team prospects, he was ranked eighth by them at the conclusion of last season.

Now that Gonzalez is on the 40-man roster, questions turn to his potential avenues to playing time once the real action begins. This of course begins with first showing what he can do during Major League spring training for the Twins in Fort Myers, Florida.

Set up to get more playing time by the Twins

Where the outfielder should immediately be in a better position is by getting more playing time than his previous two trips to Twins' spring training, when he was limited to a combined 14 at-bats in 11 games. He also figures to be better-positioned to contribute after learning to focus more on contact rather than just power, as evidenced by his .329 average in the minors last season.

One of the invaluable assets which can help Gonzalez prosper and gain more playing time, is his ability to hit against southpaws, against whom he had a 1.022 OPS in the minors last year. More generally, he continues to show the ability to read pitches better and be more patient, as evidenced last season by only striking out on 14.4 percent of his combined 550 plate appearances.

Also key to the 22-year-old's future playing prospects is what he can offer defensively, with him offering somewhat of a conundrum. On the one hand, he has an elite arm which makes him ideal to be an outfield corner, but this is countered by the previous asset of his promising speed no longer being considered as favorably as when the M's first signed him back in 2021. (A run grade of 55 by MLB Pipeline in 2022 is now a below-average 45.)

Overall from our perspective, there's enough in play that we wouldn't be surprised at all if 2026 proved to be a breakout year for Gonzalez and he becomes at least a valuable depth player for the Twins. However, while we're sure anyone connected to the Mariners would be happy for the him, it will also likely hurt on some level and only reinforce the loss of Polanco.