Jorge Polanco signing feels familiar to a former NY Mets free agent but better

Maybe it’s because they both played for the Minnesota Twins together or hit from both sides of the plate and floated all around the infield early in their careers. For some reason, the New York Mets free agent signing of Jorge Polanco feels an awful lot like when the team signed Eduardo Escobar before the 2022 campaign. Each brought in on two-year deals we weren't really expecting, each's path to the Mets was similar.

Escobar was no highly-sought after commodity fans were rushing to add. However, coming off of a big season that started with the Arizona Diamondbacks and ended with a David Stearns-led Milwaukee Brewers team that included 28 home runs and 90 RBI, we accepted his place on the Mets roster. He was going to be a very useful player capable of hitting for good power in the latter part of the lineup. Maybe he'd even play a couple of positions. Hey, if this is the same, Polanco won't do much than grab a first baseman's mitt.

It didn’t go completely according to plan. Escobar took until the final month to really get going, taking NL Player of the Month honors. He failed to make it through the next season, traded to the Los Angeles Angels in June. The circumstances aren’t exactly the same yet they do seem to rhyme with Polanco packing a lot more.

Is Jorge Polanco the better version of Eduardo Escobar for the Mets?

Escobar was coming off of a successful 2.5 WAR season in 2021 before joining the Mets. Polanco was at 2.6 WAR last year. Better results in several other categories for Polanco, including the coveted OPS, it does feel like an improved addition.

The Mets are, after all, paying Polanco about twice as much as they did Escobar. Even adjusted for inflation, it’s a large contract for a player on a two-year deal we didn’t have in our plans.

Polanco is a year younger than Escobar was when he played year one with the Mets, adding to the possible strong season he could have coming due to the natural decline of a player in his 30s. Polanco has even averaged better career numbers with 23 home runs and 85 RBI per 162 games. Escobar will finish at 19 home runs and 76 RBI barring some kind of comeback to MLB.

A subtly complete hitter in his career, Polanco has had some down years but also some really good ones. He exploded with career highs in 2021, smashing 33 home runs and driving in 98. His .826 OPS was only slightly better than the .821 he posted last year playing for the Mariners. As fans were quick to point out in defense of the Mets' signing, he did have better numbrers last year than Kyle Tucker. Don't reach too hard with that argument.

Polanco isn’t without his questions. He wasn’t good in 2024, batting .213 with a .651 OPS. He also struck out at an incredible 29.2% versus 15.6% in 2025.

The Polanco-Escobar connection is there with clear evidence he’s a better player. As a regular at DH and not dependent to play a premium position, at least in the blueprints, the move feels even wiser. Escobar’s third base defense wasn’t a strength. They see the same with Polanco who’ll step aside to grow into a first baseman or continue getting at-bats as a DH.

Ex-Twins, teammates, and switch hitters with some good power at times and shaky results in others, Polanco like Escobar but better.