Just like last year, teams across baseball seem to be in a holding pattern while we all wait for the biggest free agency domino to fall. This time around it’s Juan Soto holding up the line, although that Hans’s stopped the Dodgers from opening up the checkbook for Blake Snell or the Angels from signing Yusei Kikuchi to a big deal.
Other than that, though, the moves have either been low wattage or nonexistent. That’s going to change after Soto signs, which is likely to happen in the next week or so as the Winter Meetings arrive.
When Soto does end up signing somewhere, the free agency flood gates are expected to open and we could see a former Minnesota Twins All-Star end up with a hated rival.
Astros could replace Alex Bregman with former Twins All-Star Jorge Polanco
Last offseason the Twins traded Polanco to the Seattle Mariners in what amounted to a salary dump that busted for all involved. Minnesota got back Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa who combined to play just three games, while Polanco struggled all season before getting shut down due to injury.
That bad season last year has set Polanco up for a bounce back year, and it’s starting to sound more and more like that could happen with the Houston Astros. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal noted that the Astros are interested in Polanco as a potential contingency plan if the team doesn’t bring back Alex Bregman and miss out on Willy Adames.
“The Houston Astros are continuing their efforts to re-sign Bregman, while also setting up contingencies. The team is staying in contact with Adames, and has expressed interest in another free agent, Jorge Polanco, as a fallback option,” Rosenthal reported.
It’s not the first time we’ve heard Polanco linked to the Astros but it’s the first time a top insider has mentioned it as a possibility. This is obviously annoying for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the rock and a hard place it puts Twins fans.
Polanco was beloved when he was in Minnesota and there aren’t any Twins fans who are wishing ill-will upon him. Everyone wants to see him get back to the All-Star we’ve seen him be, but to have that happen with Astros would be a nightmare.
We’ll see what ends up happening, but right now the only team that has been consistently linked to Polanco is Houston which is a problem for fans back in Minnesota.
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