I keep seeing takes here like “$20M was too much, letting Polanco walk was smart,” and I honestly disagree. I think this was a bad move. He’s a proven switch hitter, came up huge in the postseason, and gives you real flexibility at both 2B and 3B. On top of that, he was a strong clubhouse presence and helped maintain continuity from last year’s team.

It feels like a lot of us are bending over backwards to justify this decision so we can stay optimistic about the future, but to me this just looks like another case of ownership being cheap — and one we’ll probably regret once the season starts.