Polanco, who was hitting cleanup on Saturday night, is setting himself up for a nice payday in the offseason as the Mariners set themselves up for a nice playoff run.

The Seattle Mariners continued their winning ways on Saturday night, beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 at T-Mobile Park. With the win, Seattle is 81-68. They've guaranteed themselves at least a .500 record, but the goals are much bigger with 13 games to play.

Entering play on Sunday, the Mariners are in the thick of a crowded American League playoff picture.

First and foremost, the Mariners are tied with the Houston Astros atop the American League West. Seattle and Houston are also in a three-way tie with the Boston Red Sox for the second wild card spot. All three teams are two games ahead of the Texas Rangers, who are the first team out of the playoffs.

Jorge Polanco has played a major role in the M's resurgence over the last eight games. He's got an 11-game hit streak going and has doubled in six straight, which puts him in the throws of team history.

Per Mariners PR:

...hit a 2-RBI double in the 1st inning and has recorded a double in 6 consecutive games (9/8-c), the longest streak in MLB this season…it is also tied for the 2nd-longest streak by a Mariner in franchise history (also: Edgar Martínez, 5/23-5/26/1996).        

A bounce back year

Acquired before the 2024 season from the Minnesota Twins, Polanco really struggled in his first year in Seattle. He hit just .213 with 16 home runs while battling a knee injury that required surgery in the offseason.

Seattle declined his team option, but re-signed him to a smaller deal, and he's rewarded their decision to do so. The 32-year-old is hitting .263 with 24 homers, 72 RBIs and an .813 OPS.

He's been an integral part of the team's lineup, even hitting in the cleanup spot on Saturday.

An uncertain future

Polanco has a $6 million player option for next season that he seems certain to opt-out of in search of a bigger deal. The Mariners obviously can re-sign him, but there would be questions about how much money they are willing to spend, as well as where he'd play positionally.

Cole Young figures to be the team's second baseman next year and Cal Raleigh should see significant designated hitter time. Perhaps the Mariners could move Polanco to first base, where the team is also slated to lose Josh Naylor.

Up next

The Mariners will go for a ninth straight win on Sunday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT. They will be off on Monday before starting the final road trip of the season on Tuesday in Kansas City.