Mariners acquire INF Jorge Polanco from Twins for RHP Justin Topa, RHP Anthony DeSclafini, two prospects
HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins throws during game two of the Division Series against the Houston Astros on October 8, 2023 at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Ima
The Seattle Mariners acquired former All-Star second baseman Jorge Polanco from the Minnesota Twins on Monday in a four-player trade that included right-handed pitchers Justin Topa and Anthony DeSclafini, and outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez.
Minor league right-handed pitcher Darren Bowen is also headed to Minnesota in the deal for Polanco along with cash considerations.
The deal was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.com.
"I think I personally made more calls on this trade than I ever have on any trade before at the behest of both my own want to add him and our group. So really big day for us. I feel like it makes us a lot better and excited to add him," Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Monday night,.
Polanco, 30, has spent his entire 10-year MLB career with the Twins and was named an All-Star in 2019. Polanco only played 80 games for the Twins last year as a hamstring strain led to two separate stints on the injured list. Polanco's absence allowed Eduord Julien – one of Minnesota's top prospects – to thrive as he laid claim to the second base job over the rest of the season. Polanco posted a .255 batting average last season with 18 doubles, 14 home runs and 48 RBI with 36 walks and 88 strikeouts in 302 at-bats.
"The switch-hit is huge for us the way our team is constructed," Hollander said. "To have a guy who is platoon neutral who can hit in the middle of our lineup from either side is a big advantage for Scott (Servais) as he stacks the lineup up to be able to go left, right, switch, and move the pieces around. Obviously, a middle infielder who is experienced at a lot of spots on the diamond and can solidify second base for us."
For his career, Polanco is a .269 hitter from both sides of the plate with a slightly higher OPS from the left side against right-handed pitching (.803 to .729).
Hollander said they first attempted to acquire Polanco heading into the 2021 season, but they had been unable to reach a deal until the framework started to come together on Sunday night.
"I high-fived my wife very hard last night when we got to a point where I thought we were getting to a deal," Hollander said. "This is a big deal for our baseball group. This is a guy that we really believe in and have liked for a long time."
Injuries have been a concern for Polanco the last two seasons. He appeared in just 104 games in 2022 and 80 games last season for Minnesota.
"We did a very thorough medical review," Hollander said. "I think we understand what the injuries have been. One of the things that is important to us and was important to our training staff is understanding what kind of worker he is. All of our feedback was that he works as hard as anybody.
"He actually is working out at the same facility that Julio [Rodríguez] works out at in Tampa. They've worked out together the last couple of years. And all of our feedback from both the Twins, the people around the league and the people he works with in the offseason is that he is an absolute workaholic and we'll be able to manage his way through the injuries that have kept him off the field a little bit the last couple of years."
Topa, 32, was a key piece of the Mariners' bullpen last season after being acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. Topa threw 69 innings for Seattle in 75 total appearances last season. Topa had a 2.61 ERA with 18 walks, 61 strikeouts and four home runs allowed.
"Justin Topa was awesome for us last year from day one of spring training," Hollander said. "He showed up, he was open to coaching, he was open to new ideas, worked his butt off to make sure he stayed on the mound every day and was available to us. He got huge outs for us all year long. We’ll have to replace that I think it’s most likely to be internally with the possibility of externally as well."
DeSclafini, 33, was acquired in a trade earlier this offseason that saw left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray dealt to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for DeSclafini and outfielder Mitch Haniger. DeSclafini has pitched nine years in the majors for the Giants, Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins. Last season, DeSclafini appeared in 19 games with 18 starts for the Giants. He posted a 4-8 record with a 4.88 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 99 ⅔ innings pitched. His best season came with the Giants in 2021 when he went 13-7 in 31 starts. He had an ERA of 3.17 in 167 ⅔ innings pitched with a pair of shutouts.
Hollander said the signing of right-handed pitcher Austin Voth two weeks ago gave them an additional pitcher capable of starting games and helped allow them to move DeSclafini.
"He does have experience in that swing man role. So he'll provide depth," Hollander said of Voth. "Obviously, Emerson (Hancock) will provide depth. Trent Thornton will stretch out a little bit in spring too, and he'll provide depth, and then we have the guys that are slated to go to Triple-A as well. So nobody ever has enough pitching depth and I'll never raise my hand and say, 'oh, we just have too much pitching. We're good to go.' That's just not a reality for anybody in the industry. We'll keep looking for more pitching depth, but we feel good about where we're at today. We feel like we have one of the best rotations in baseball."
Gonzalez, 20, was one of the top prospects in the Mariners' farm system. In 73 games played for High-A Modesto last year, Gonzalez had a .348 average with 19 doubles, four triples, nine home runs and 54 RBI with 23 walks and 46 strikeouts in 296 at-bats.
Gonzalez was ranked as the 79th best prospect in baseball by MLB.com, which is third in the Mariners' system behind infielder Cole Young (37th) and catcher Harry Ford (38th).
Bowen, 22, went 4-2 with a 3.88 ERA with 25 walks and 59 strikeouts in 19 games with High-A Modesto in 2023, his first season as a professional. He was a 13th round draft pick by the Mariners in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.