At this point of the offseason, it feels like the Atlanta Braves can do one of two things. They can either accept that Mauricio Dubon is going to be their shortstop and then use their resources on the rotation OR they can try to make a deal in a terrible shortstop market that would be for an imperfect player and one Atlanta would probably have to overpay for. Of the options available on the free agent, one of the better ones is now unavailable and could force the Braves into action.
While Jorge Polanco was anything but ideal for the Braves, he at least had loads of experience playing in the infield and just posted an .821 OPS for the Mariners in 2025. It would have been a defensive challenge to balance, but Polanco's bat may have been worth the squeeze.
Unfortunately, Polanco is no longer on the table. On Saturday, it was widely reported that, of all teams, the Mets were signing Polanco to a two-year deal.
Jorge Polanco and the New York Mets are in agreement on a deal, league sources tell The Athletic.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 13, 2025
Braves lose potential shortstop target in Jorge Polanco, but dodged a brutal price tag
So, the half-empty perspective on this is that Atlanta now has one less decent free agent target available to them the rest of the offseason. To make matters worse, Polanco is heading to a rival team in the Mets who were heading in the wrong direction this offseason. However, a closer look here suggests that Polanco only made sense for the Braves if they could get a decent deal on him and he signed for....considerably more than that.
Polanco is definitely a useful player, but he is also 32 years old, has a spotty track record the last four years or so, and he isn't a defensive asset. That New York gave him $20 million a year is wild, although completely understandable that Polanco would happily take that at this point of his career.
With Polanco off the market, attention once again turns to Ha-Seong Kim and whether or not Atlanta can lure him back to the Braves. So far, there has been very little chatter around Kim which could be a good sign. After all, if any team can operate in silence, it is Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves.