Mets' Jorge Polanco nightmare confirms Mariners exit was a blessing in disguise

Jorge Polanco went from being one of the most unpopular players on the Mariners roster to one of the most liked in less than 12 months. Plenty of people were sad to see him leave after last season for the bright lights of New York. However, we're now at a point where the M's fanbase is relieved he didn't return to Seattle.

It was bad enough for Polanco that he started the 2026 campaign in poor form for the Mets, only batting .179 with an unsightly .532 OPS and 53 OPS+ in 14 games. Then it got worse when he was placed on the 10-day Injured List in mid-April with a right wrist contusion. And now, the latest injury update seems to indicate he won't be coming back anytime soon.

As reported by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the Mets remain in a holding pattern with Polanco although it isn't actually due to his wrist, which is now mostly resolved. The delay relates to his left Achilles, which has not improved enough for him to begin a rehab assignment. It turns out this has been an issue since the end of March, which would also explain why he was limited to only two games at his new defensive position of first base.

Let's be clear in stressing we're not rooting against Polanco or anything of a similar nature. He had a big bounce-back year last season with the Mariners and was a major part of their success. Heck, it's not even as if anyone blamed him for accepting the Mets' two-year, $40 million offer, with the M's prepared to match the term but not the price.

Jorge Polanco not returning likely saved the Mariners from a negative butterfly effect

However, watching Polanco's nightmare unfold in New York shows how fortunate the Mariners actually were to lose out on re-signing him. As talented as he is, he's become a decreasing defensive asset, and that's when he actually plays in the field these days. This relates to the other big issue in that he's dealt with a variety of injuries over the years. At some point this catches up with you, especially when combined with the natural wear-and-tear all players contend with.

There's also the potential butterfly effect to consider in all of this, if the Mariners had brought Polanco back for this season. His exit was the extra motivation Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander needed to work out the trade for Brendan Donovan. Additionally, if he was still around it likely would have meant less action for Cole Young at second base and/or Dominic Canzone at DH, and we've all seen how effective they've both been so far in 2026.

We're sure the majority of Mariners fans will join us in wishing the best for Polanco moving forward. That he will get healthy again sooner than later and subsequently start to find more success at the plate. However, as much as we hate to sound like we're kicking a man when he's down, the M's dodged a bullet by not bringing him back.

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