Jorge Polanco won’t be back in a Seattle Mariners uniform next season. That reality became official Tuesday when the veteran infielder signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Mets. But before turning the page, Polanco made sure to leave something behind — a raw, emotional message that immediately resonated across the Mariners fan base and reminded everyone why his departure hurts so much.
Polanco didn’t issue a sterile farewell or a carefully packaged statement. Instead, he poured his heart out on Instagram, delivering a deeply personal thank-you to the city that believed in him when few others did — especially after knee surgery cast doubt over his future.
“I cannot express with words how grateful me and my family are for the belief YOU had in me,” Polanco wrote. “You traded for me. You signed me when everyone else doubted me. You made me feel wanted and loved.”
The repeated emphasis was intentional.
“YOU” wasn’t just fans.
It was teammates. Trainers. Coaches. The front office. Ownership. An entire organization that took a chance — and was rewarded.
Polanco’s journey in Seattle wasn’t smooth. Acquired from Minnesota in a trade that cost the Mariners four players ahead of the 2024 season, expectations were high. What followed was disappointment. A lingering knee issue sapped his explosiveness, and the numbers reflected it: a .213 batting average and a 29.2% strikeout rate, both career lows. For a player brought in to stabilize the lineup, it was a brutal first impression.
Many would have written him off.
Seattle didn’t.
The Mariners brought Polanco back on a one-year deal before the 2025 season — a quiet move at the time, but one that would soon define their year. Healthy again, confident again, Polanco delivered one of the most dramatic bounce-back seasons in recent MLB history.
At age 32, he didn’t just recover — he transformed.
Polanco slashed .265/.821 OPS, piled up 30 doubles, 26 home runs, and 78 RBIs across 138 games. Even more staggering was the discipline shift: his strikeout rate plummeted from 29.2% to 15.6%, the largest year-to-year drop in strikeout percentage in MLB history among players with at least 450 plate appearances, according to MLB.com’s Mike Petriello.
This wasn’t just a comeback.
It was a reinvention.
And when the pressure peaked, Polanco became something more — the Mariners’ heartbeat.
No player in baseball was more dangerous in high-leverage moments. Polanco led MLB with a 1.284 OPS and a 259 wRC+ in those situations, while hitting .438 when the game was on the line. When Seattle needed a swing to change everything, it was usually Polanco delivering it.
That clutch gene carried straight into October.
Against two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, Polanco launched two home runs in Game 2 of the AL Division Series. In the decisive Game 5, he etched his name into franchise history with a walk-off single in the 15th inning, sealing the Mariners’ first ALDS series win in decades. He followed it up with a go-ahead three-run homer in Game 2 of the ALCS — another moment that shook T-Mobile Park to its core.
Seattle didn’t just win games because of Polanco.
They believed because of him.
By season’s end, Polanco had triggered a $6 million player option for 2026 by surpassing 450 plate appearances. He declined it. Not because Seattle didn’t want him — they did. He was one of their top offseason priorities. But free agency offered a chance to secure long-term stability, and the Mets moved decisively.
Still, the goodbye stings.
“I just wish we could have delivered you the trophy YOU deserve,” Polanco wrote — a line that hit Mariners fans hardest of all. Because for the first time in years, it felt possible. Seattle won its first AL West title since 2001 and reached the AL Championship Series — milestones tied directly to Polanco’s resurgence.
His final words weren’t about New York.
They were about Seattle.
“I will always cherish my time with YOU. I will never forget these last two years because of YOU. I will always smile thinking of YOU all.”
Then, one last rallying cry: “Tridents UP!”
Jorge Polanco may be gone, but his imprint on Seattle’s long-awaited breakthrough season is permanent. He arrived doubted, struggled, rose again, and left as a symbol of resilience — a reminder that belief, patience, and trust can still change everything in baseball.
The Mariners will move forward.
The Mets get a proven, clutch bat.
But Seattle keeps the memories — and a goodbye that felt less like an ending and more like a thank-you letter written from the heart.
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