The Mariners declined Jorge Polanco’s $12 million club option in 2025 on Friday, making the former Twins infielder a free agent for the first time at age 31. He had a rough season in Seattle after being traded in a January deal that didn’t work out. out on both sides, as Justin Topa and Anthony DeSclafani were both injured for the Twins. Should Minnesota consider bringing him back this winter?

The argument for a Twins reunion with Polanco is that it might not cost much and he could have a good chance at a bounce-back year with the only MLB organization he’s ever known before 2024 The 2019 All-Star had a 111 OPS+ in over 800 games with the Twins, including a mark of 110 or better (100 is the league average) every year from 2018-23 except for the campaign. 2020 shortened by COVID.

It’s hard to believe that Polanco is suddenly batting .213/.296/.355 (93 OPS+) that he was in 118 games with the Mariners last season. This may be the case – its advanced contact measurements don’t paint a picture of someone who was unlucky – but maybe not. Before last year, the switch-hitting infielder was a consistent bat-to-ball producer with above-average power. Juiced Ball’s 2019 season was far from Polanco’s only quality campaign; he hit .255 with 63 home runs in 336 regular season games between 2021 and 2023, or 30.4 home runs per 162 games.

As Eno Sarris noted, Polanco’s strikeout rate was a big problem during his tenure in Seattle, but there is a theory that hitters sometimes struggle because of the batter’s eye at T -Mobile Park.

The argument against bringing Polanco back is that it would be recycling someone who once had success with the Twins but may not be the same player as before. He’s a second baseman, and signing him would hinder Brooks Lee’s path to everyday at-bats. Lee struggled through 50 games as a rookie this year, but the 23-year-old remains one of the Twins’ top prospects and projects and is a big part of their future if he hits the way the organization believes it. Another top prospect, Luke Keaschall, could also be in the mix at second base starting this season.

Then again, one could argue that the Twins shouldn’t draft Lee as their starting 2B without competition, given that he has no history of success in MLB. They certainly can’t count on much from Edouard Julien after his struggles in 2024. And if they finish trade someone like Willi Castro this offseason, they may not have much depth on the court, especially considering how injury-prone Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa are.

In a year where the Twins won’t have much money to spend due to self-imposed salary caps that aren’t expected to go away, Polanco could potentially be a useful “buy low” signing if he’s willing to return to Minnesota for a pretty cheap deal.