Looking For A Match In A Jorge Polanco Trad

[sharonorn]

The Twins saw a variety of youngsters take significant steps forward in 2023 en route to their first victory in a postseason series since 2002, and perhaps none of those were more impactful than the breakouts of and . Long a top prospect whose career had been stalled by injuries, Lewis burst onto the scene in 2023 and slashed an incredible .309/.372/.548 with 15 homers and six stolen bases in just 239 trips to the plate last season while playing excellent defense at third base. Julien, by contrast, lacked Lewiss prospect pedigree but put together perhaps an even more impre sive rookie campaign. The 24-year-old slashed .263/.381/.459 in 408 trips to the plate as the clubs primary second baseman in 2023, with an incredible 15.7% walk rate that only , , , and managed to eclipse among rookie hitters (min. 400 PA) in the 21st century. The incredible performances from both Lewis and Julien leave the Twins set up for succe s around in the infield for years to come, particularly if manages to regain his All Star form and top prospect is able to find similar succe s when he reaches the big leagues, which could happen as soon as 2024. This exce s of infield talent has left longtime second baseman to face a great deal of uncertainty this offseason. The Twins havent been shy about their plans to this offseason, and with each of , , and having signed elsewhere this offseason after departing for free agency last month, the club is facing uncertanity in the rotation. As such, dealing away the clubs longest-tenured player could allow Minnesota to leverage an area of considerable depth to fill out its pitching staff, while also saving $10.5MM in salary next season that could potentially be used to acquire even more pitching. That logic convinced MLBTR readers that Polanco should be dealt , where more than 56% voted in favor of the Twins dealing Polanco. Given the clear incentives for the Twins to at least consider a Polanco trade, its hardly a surprise that the 30-year-old has as recently as earlier this month from rival clubs. Even as the longtime infielder appears to be on the verge of getting squeezed out of the Twins infield mix, Polanco is still a quality everyday player. While he was limited to just 80 games this past season due to injuries, the switch-hitter nonethele s slashed a solid .255/.335/.454 (118 wRC+) while Prelander Berroa Jersey splitting time between second base, third base, and DH in 2023. That line is consistent with the numbers Polanco has posted throughout his time as an everyday player in the majors. Since he broke out as an above-average regular back in 2019, the infielder has slashed .267/.337/.458 with a wRC+ of 117. Thats good for ninth among qualified second baseman during that time span, just ahead of household names such as and . While Polanco doesnt generate much value with his glove, typically earning below-average marks by Outs Above Average and roughly average marks by Defensive Runs Saved, he makes up for it with his consistent, above-average offense and would be a clear upgrade for virtually any team in need of infield help ahead of the 2024 season. Further adding to Polancos value is his relatively affordable contract situation. As previously mentioned, Polanco is due just $10.5MM in 2024, an amount the majority of buying clubs should be able to stomach without much i sue. Whats more, Polanco is not a pure rental thanks to a $12MM club option for 2024 that carries a fairly modest buyout of $750K. Taken together, Polancos switch-hitting bat, offensive consistency, and affordable team control are surely an enticing package to plenty of clubs, even in spite of Polancos recent injury history and lackluster defense. With that said, which teams are the best fits for his services? The Angels, Astros, Braves, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Guardians, Orioles, Padres, Phillies, Rangers, Rays, Reds, Red Sox, and Yankees all appear more or le s set around the infield, while the As, Nationals, Rockies, Tigers, and White Sox all appear unlikely to spend significant money and prospect capital on a short-term infield solution. That still leaves nine teams as viable fits for Polancos services, however. Lets take a look at how they match up Best Fits: Blue Jays: The Jays have a clear need around the infield after losing and to free agency, even after adding . The club also recently lost their primary source of left-handed offense due to the departure of . Polanco could help alleviate both of those i sues as a switch-hitter who could add some pop to the lineup from the left side while slotting in as the clubs everyday second baseman, with the likes of , , and left to compete for the third base job alongside Kiner-Falefa. Meanwhile, mercurial right-hander could surely entice the Twins as a potential return given his significant upside and the ability of depth starter to step into the rotation should Manoah struggle to regain the form he showed in 2022, when he was a finalist for the AL Cy Young award. Cubs: Few teams got worse production from their third base corps in 2023 than the Cubs, who needed to plug the hole by trading for at the trade deadline last summer. With Candelario now suiting up for Cincinnati, the Cubs are once again left with a hole at third base and a dearth of left-handed pop in their lineup. The addition of Polanco could addre s both of those concerns; while the veteran infielder has primarily played second base during his career, he looked decent at the position when covering for Royce Lewis this past season and the Cubs had little i sue converting from the keystone to the hot corner last spring. In exchange for Polancos services, the Cubs could dangle a young pitching prospect such as or , both of whom have this offseason. Mariners: After shipping to Arizona earlier in the winter, the Mariners have plenty of room to improve upon their infield mix. and are currently slated for everyday roles at second and third base, though the pair are likely better served platooning with each other. That opens the door for another infield addition, and Polanco could fit the bill as an everyday player at either position. While the switch-hitter is unlikely to net the Twins a young starter like or in trade (at least by himself), its po sible a deal could come together centered around a le s proven arm like . Next Tier Down: Brewers: The Brewers have as significant of needs around the infield as any team, with little certainty anywhere outside of . and appear to be the clubs current best options at second and third base respectively, but adding Polanco would give a significant boost to the clubs offense while taking pre sure off the aforementioned pair of youngsters. While Milwaukee is as good of a fit as any club for Polancos services, the recent departures of and leave the Brewers seemingly unlikely to further weaken their rotation depth by trading a starter to Minnesota. Meanwhile, the clubs many outfielders likely hold little appeal for the Twins, who have a deep outfield mix of their own already. Giants: The Giants, at least on paper, have a fairly solid infield mix that includes , , and . With that being said, the club has been connected to free agencys top infielder in Matt Chapman this winter, and Polanco could be a reasonable fallback option for San Francisco to improve their offensive production on the infield dirt should they fail to land Chapman. The club also has a handful of interesting young pitchers like who they could consider dealing, though the club is seemingly hoping to land a player with more star power than Polanco provides this winter. Marlins: The Marlins are seemingly perpetually interested in acquiring hitting reinforcements by leveraging their deep group of pitchers, and it appears this offseason is no different as the likes of , , and have all found their names in the rumor mill. Whats more, the sides got together on just this sort of deal last offseason, when the Twins landed in exchange for . Polanco would be something of a tricky positional fit for the Miami, though they could conceivably move to DH and shift Arraez back to first, opening up second base for Polanco. Longer Shots: Mets: The Mets appeared to be content with their infield mix as recently as earlier this month, when it appeared that , , , and would compete for playing time at third base while , , and remained at their usual positions. That all changed when Mauricio while playing winter ball, throwing the clubs infield plans into chaos. Even so, the Mets and Twins are something of an imperfect fit as trade partners. While Polancos two years of team control seemingly fits New Yorks current strategy of making short-term additions that wont encumber the team in the long haul, Polanco doesnt offer the quality glove Mauricio did and his switch-hitting bat is likely le s attractive given the number of lefty-swinging infielders the Mets already have at their disposal. Pirates: The Pirates evidently are looking to add a second baseman to their infield mix given their in a reunion with , and the addition of Polanco would likely move the needle far more for the fourth-place club in 2024 should they hope to contend for the NL Central this season. The addition of Polanco would offer some veteran consistency to a young offense that dealt with extreme peaks and valleys throughout the 2023 campaign, and his 118 wRC+ last year wouldve been the best on Pittsburghs offense last year. With that being said, the Pirates still have a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the NL Central in 2024, and their rotation has even more question marks than Minnesotas, rendering them unlikely to deal away a rotation piece like the Twins figure to seek. Royals: Trades within a division are exceptionally rare, particularly when both clubs are seemingly hoping to contend in the coming season. With that being said, theres at least an on-paper fit between the Royals and Twins for a Polanco deal. Kansas City needs offense even after adding in free agency earlier this month, and Polanco would represent a ma sive upgrade over at the keystone. Meanwhile, the Royals could offer a package centered around a young arm like or who may be squeezed out of the clubs rotation mix by the recent additions of and . Its also worth noting that Kansas City and Minnesota got together on a notable trade as recently as last offseason, when the Royals sent to the Twins in exchange for a pair of relief prospects. Drew Thorpe Jersey