There are tough losses, and then there are the kind that leave a sting - the kind that feel like they slipped through your fingers before you even had a chance to tighten your grip. For the Seattle Mariners, losing Jorge Polanco to the New York Mets falls squarely into that second category.
And the frustrating part? There’s no clear villain here.
No front office blunder, no lowball offer, no player betrayal. Just a chain of events that didn’t break Seattle’s way.
Let’s start with Polanco himself. According to reporting from The Seattle Times, his first choice was to return to the Mariners.
He liked it there. The fit made sense.
But when the Mets put two years and $40 million on the table - a deal nearly equal to everything he’s earned in his career - it became a no-brainer. That’s life-changing money, and you can’t fault a player for securing his financial future.
The Mariners, for their part, weren’t asleep at the wheel. They were in it.
They made what was described as a “very competitive” offer. But with Polanco’s injury history and age creeping into the equation, there was a ceiling to what they were willing to do.
Even two years at $30 million would’ve been pushing it for a player with that kind of risk profile. Seattle played it smart, but in this case, smart didn’t win.
And the Mets? Say what you will about overpaying, but this was a team with a hole to fill and an owner in Steve Cohen who doesn’t blink at a $40 million check.
They missed out on Pete Alonso and needed a new option at first. Enter Polanco, who now steps into a prominent role on a team that’s still trying to figure out exactly what it is.
But here’s where the plot thickens - and where the Mariners can let out a collective groan in the general direction of Baltimore.
Because if you’re looking for a domino that tipped everything over, it’s the Orioles’ surprise signing of Pete Alonso. Baltimore landed the five-time All-Star on a five-year, $155 million deal - a move that sent shockwaves through the Winter Meetings and changed the trajectory of multiple teams.
The Orioles weren’t just in the mix; they won the race against heavyweights like the Mets, Red Sox, and Cubs. And they did it with a bold, big-money offer that few expected from a franchise not exactly known for opening the vault.
The Mets, surprisingly, didn’t even make an offer to Alonso, according to The Athletic. That’s striking, especially considering Alonso is the franchise’s all-time home run leader.
Instead, it seems they were trying to play the same game they did last offseason - waiting out the market and hoping to bring him back on a short-term deal. That worked once, but this time, Baltimore wasn’t playing along.
Boston, meanwhile, reportedly offered fewer years and significantly less money. So this wasn’t a bidding war that came down to the wire - the Orioles simply stepped up and took their shot.
And in doing so, they forced the Mets to pivot. With Alonso off the board, New York had to find a replacement.
That search led them straight to Polanco.
Just days earlier, ESPN’s Jeff Passan had cast doubt on the idea that Polanco was a $20 million-per-year player. At that point, the Pirates were seen as the biggest threat to Seattle’s chances of re-signing him. And even if Pittsburgh had overbid, the Mariners still had a strong hand - familiarity, culture, and a team that’s closer to contention than the Pirates are.
But when the Mets entered the picture, everything changed. That’s the kind of team that can blow up a market with one phone call. And from the moment they got serious about Polanco, Seattle’s leverage evaporated.
So no, there’s no one to blame in the traditional sense. The Mariners made a solid offer.
Polanco made a smart decision. The Mets filled a need.
And the Orioles? Well, they didn’t set out to sabotage Seattle’s offseason, but their aggressive move for Alonso sent ripple effects across the league - and one of those waves crashed right into the Mariners’ plans.
In the end, this is the kind of loss that doesn’t come with a scapegoat. It comes with a sigh, a shake of the head, and maybe a quiet grumble about how one unexpected move can shift the entire landscape.
The Mariners were in it. They had a shot.
But sometimes, even when you play it right, the game still beats you.