The Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins swung a five-player trade Monday, with second baseman Jorge Polanco going to Seattle for outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez, reliever Justin Topa, starter Anthony DeSclafani and minor league pitcher Darren Bowen.
The Mariners are also giving the Twins cash considerations. Both teams announced the deal Monday night.
Polanco, a 30-year-old switch hitter, joins a Mariners team that has spent the winter seeking bats to complement its elite starting pitching. An All-Star in 2019, Polanco has been a consistently well-above-league-average hitter in his 10-year big league career, slashing .269/.334/.446, and is likely to slot into the middle of a Mariners order that includes Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, Cal Raleigh, Ty France and a pair of offseason additions, Mitch Garver and Mitch Haniger.
The Twins had exercised a $10.5 million option on Polanco this winter, and his deal includes a $12 million club option for 2025.
Minnesota has spent much of the offseason looking to shed payroll after winning the American League Central last year. The Twins lost Sonny Gray, who finished second in AL Cy Young voting, via free agency to St. Louis. Starters Kenta Maeda and Tyler Mahle as well as reliever Emilio Pagan left in free agency, too. Minnesota’s one major league transaction prior to the deal was signing reliever Josh Staumont for $950,000.