Potential Mariners' second base solutions after Seattle's Jorge Polanco decision

With the 2024-25 offseason only just beginning, the Seattle Mariners have functioned like many other teams around the league and been active on the roster adjustment front.

Over the past few days, the club has sent Luis Urias packing, declined Jorge Polanco's $12 million club option, added Blas Castano to their 40-man roster and seen Mitch Haniger exercise his 2025 player option. This offseason is already shaping up to be one that sees the Mariners in the headlines on a regular basis.

The loss of Polanco is one that's particularly interesting, as the Mariners are shedding quite a bit of payroll and opening up the door for another external candidate to be an upgrade over Polanco's production. In what will be his only season with the Mariners, the switch-hitter hit 16 home runs and drove in 45 while posting a measly .213 batting average, .651 OPS and 93 OPS+.

While Baseball Reference says Polanco was worth 0.3 dWAR at second base this past year, Baseball Savant shows he ranked in the 2nd percentile in OAA and 8th percentile in Arm Strength. He failed to be even an average big leaguer on both offense and defense.

This brings up the question of who the Mariners could bring aboard to replace him for next season. Gold Glover Dylan Moore is an internal option, but the free-agent market is full of candidates that will bring more of a bat to the table.

3 free agent second basemen the Mariners could replace Jorge Polanco with

Ha-Seong Kim

After declining his end of a mutual option with the Padres, Kim is officially on the open market and would be a great replacement for Polanco. The 29-year-old wraps up a four-year stint in San Diego that saw him win a Gold Glove and earn stray MVP votes as recently as 2023.

Kim experienced a regression across the board in 2024, but quite a bit of that can be written off by the fact that he missed a chunk of time due to injuries. He is a well above-average defender at three different infield spots and has shown in years past that he can be a solid run producer at the plate as well.

In 2024, he hit 11 home runs with a .700 OPS and 96 OPS+. The year before: 17 home runs, .749 OPS, 107 OPS+. The year before that: 11 home runs, .708 OPS, 105 OPS+. He's capable of bringing an above-average bat to the plate, which does nothing but further his value when it's put alongside his outstanding defensive play.

Amed Rosario

Another player that can bounce around all over the diamond, Rosario is also back on the free-agent market after a year in which he suited up for three different clubs. Through it all, he recorded 24 extra-base hits with 13 stolen bases, a .280 average and 94 OPS+ in 103 games.

Rosario, 28, isn't a player that will make or break an offseason, but he's a great complementary piece. He logged more time at second base than any other position in 2024 while showing off promising gap power and speed on the bases. His versatility will always be one of his top traits, but don't sleep on the fact that he's only a few years removed from hitting 11 home runs and driving in 71 with a 106 OPS+.

Gleyber Torres

It's a toss-up between Torres and Kim to determine which player would cost the most this offseason. Torres may get the edge, as Kim battled through injuries in his walk year while Torres once again topped the 15-homer plateau and helped the Yankees all the way to the World Series.

The 27-year-old is one of the top power-hitting second basemen in baseball, which shoudn't be shrugged off. He's recorded 24 or more home runs four times in seven big-league seasons while sporting a below-average OPS+ just one time when he finished 2021 at 93.

Torres fell out of favor in the Bronx, but he's a classic change-of-scenery candidate. Don't count on him to contend for a Gold Glove at second base, but his bat brings a lot to the second base position and he's a safe bet to be a bounce-back candidate at the position.