The Mariners on Friday declined their $12MM club option on second baseman , per a team announcement. Hell be paid a $750K buyout and become a free agent. The Ms also announced that infielder went unclaimed on outright waivers and elected free agency. Their 40-man roster is currently at 36 players. Seattle acquired the switch-hitting Polanco from Riley Pint Jersey the Twins last offseason in a trade sending reliever , veteran righty , prospects and , and cash back to Minnesota. The hope at the time was that the steady Polanco would solidify what had been a revolving door at second base for two seasons in Seattle. Instead, Polanco became the latest notable veteran to arrive in Seattle and see his offensive production unexpectedly decline in swift fashion. Polanco hit .270/.338/.455 in nearly 2700 plate appearances with the Twins from 2018-23, only once posting below-average offense in a season (2020). Hed incurred some injury troubles in the two years immediately preceding the swap but was entering his age-30 season. There was little reason to expect a steep decline at the plate, but thats exactly what played out. Polanco, a 2019 All-Star, got out to an awful .197/.285/.298 slash through the first three months of the season. He picked up the pace considerably in July, but by that point there was little salvaging his season. He wound up with career-lows in batting average (.213) and on-base percentage (.298). His .355 slugging percentage was exactly one point higher than his career-worst .354 from that shortened 2020 season. The career-worst showing at the plate for Polanco was at least in part due to knee troubles. ESPNs Jeff Pa san reported a couple weeks back that Polanco was to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee. Thats the same knee that landed Polanco on the injured list for the final month of the 2022 season and for the first three weeks of the 2023 campaign. Depending on the extent to which the injury has been nagging him, its certainly po sible that a healthier Polanco could return to form in short order next season. Its not yet clear exactly how long hell need to recover, but if Polanco is expected back on time for Opening Day 2025, he ought to command a one-year deal with incentives this offseason. As for Urias, this is the second time the Mariners pa sed him through waivers. He accepted an outright a signment last time around, as electing free agency following his midseason outright wouldve required forfeiting the remainder of his salary. Hes no longer on a guaranteed deal, however, and was arbitration-eligible with a projected $5MM salary ( ). The Ms were never likely to pay that price a second time, leaving Urias as one of the more clear-cut non-tender candidates in the league. Todays outright is tantamount to non-tendering him a couple weeks ahead of the deadline to do so. Urias, 27, was one of the top prospects in baseball during his minor league days with the Padres. He had a pair of solid seasons following a trade to the Brewers, hitting a combined .244/.340/.426 in 2021-22. However, Urias production tanked with a .194/.337/.299 slash in 2023, and he wasnt able to get back on track in 2024, hitting only .191/.303/.394. Hes capable of playing multiple infield spots but is better suited at second and third base than at shortstop. A team seeking a right-handed utility infielder could look to Urias on a minor league deal or perhaps a low-cost one-year pact with some incentives baked in. Wynton Bernard Jersey
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