Among the finest recruiting instruments groups have are their stars. Generally groups can do the whole lot they will to courtroom a participant in free company, presenting their group and its sources in constructive, inventive lights, just for the participant to go to a crew that has a extra full roster in place already.
The departures of Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso have left the Mets with a depleted roster, however two stars stay, Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. The presence of these two helped the Mets land Jorge Polanco on a two-year, $40 million contract earlier this month.
“I think from a team standpoint, we have so many great players who want to win,” Polanco mentioned Monday in a Zoom press convention. “Playing with Francisco Lindor, playing with Juan Soto, and just knowing how they treat the game and how they go about the game, and the type of leaders that they are. I’m very excited to be a part of this team because I knew this team wanted to win, so it’s a good spot for me.”
A emptiness at first base was one other side that attracted Polanco to the Mets. Final 12 months with the Seattle Mariners, the profession center infielder began work to study the nook place. He ended up entering into precisely one sport at first base and manning the place for precisely one batter.
It’s what made the acquisition much more unusual. President of baseball operations David Stearns has spent everything of the offseason hammering house the necessity for “run prevention” and enhance defensive fundamentals, particularly at first base. Alonso was allowed to stroll to Baltimore partially as a result of the Mets sought a defensive improve. With none actual historical past on the place, Polanco can’t be thought-about an improve or a downgrade on the place, at the very least not but.
Nonetheless, he has some foundational data of the place with the work he put into studying it final season. He advised groups in free agent conferences that he was open to taking part in first, second or third base, and he appears anticipating a brand new problem.
“When the Mets asked if I was able to play a little bit of first base and a little bit of third, I was definitely willing to do that right away,” Polanco mentioned by means of a crew translator.
Polanco usually went to the ballpark early to place in work with Seattle’s infield coach, Perry Hill, and bench coach, Manny Acta, at first base. Their teaching helped him develop snug sufficient to have the ability to tackle a brand new function with a brand new crew.
A switch-hitter coming off of a 26-homer season, Polanco shall be tasked with offering safety behind Soto within the order. A knee harm restricted him in 2024, his first season in Seattle after having spent almost 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, however Polanco bounced again in his age-32 season hitting .265 with an .821 OPS. A mechanical change helped him reduce down on his swing-and-misses, chopping his strikeout fee almost in half, from 29.2% in 2024 to fifteen.6% final season.
Within the playoffs, Polanco hit .208 to assist the Mariners attain Recreation 7 of the ALCS.
“I have a hitting coach that I’ve been working with, and we kind of got back to where I was early on in my career where I wasn’t striking out as much and I was putting the ball more in play,” Polanco mentioned. “I was really battling.”
Finally, what Polanco noticed within the Mets was a chance to play for a crew that has massive aspirations and sources for particular person gamers to make the most of. The star energy may not be what it was final season, however the massive two have been sufficiently big for Polanco when he thought-about the complete scope of what the Mets have been providing him.
“It was definitely surprising that they both left, but at the same time, it’s also a business,” Polanco mentioned. “Edwin Diaz is one of the best closers in baseball, and Pete is one of the best first basemen in baseball. So it did surprise me a bit, but once you get into free agency, the business side takes over.”
