Placido Polanco turned 34 years old last month and has naturally lost a step on both sides of the ball, but still hit .285/.331/.396 this season while ranking among MLB’s better defensive second basemen according to both reputation and Ultimate Zone Rating. He rarely walks and has modest pop, but Polanco makes as much solid contact as any hitter in baseball and batted .311/.355/.418 in five years with the Tigers leading up to his impending free agency. Assuming that his defense doesn’t fall off a cliff, even something like .275/.330/.375 would make him above average overall. Given his age and skill set it wouldn’t make sense to offer Polanco more than a two-year deal, but he’ll be an attractive option for teams looking to solidify the middle infield while adding a decent top-of-the-order bat. Last week Freddy Sanchez took $12 million over two years to remain with the Giants and Polanco would make plenty of sense for contenders if he’s willing to accept something similar. Detroit was seemingly planning to let him go without much of a fight, but would-be replacement Scott Sizemore breaking his ankle in the Arizona Fall League may change that.
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