ST. LOUIS -- The Pirates placed veteran outfielder Gregory Polanco on outright waivers Sunday afternoon, a source tells DK Pittsburgh Sports, putting his future with the Pirates up in the air.
Polanco will be available to every team through the waiver process, though any team that selects him this way will be on the hook for the approximately $2.4 million he is still owed this season.
However, the far most likely outcome is Polanco stays with the team.
From what DK Pittsburgh Sports has gathered, Polanco has not been offered an assignment or designated for assignment, indicating that if he does not get claimed through the waiver process, he would remain with the Pirates.
Waivers are independent from any specific transaction, so a player could go through waivers and still remain with the major league team, assuming the Pirates don't subsequently place him on release waivers.
If no team claims him by Tuesday, then by the waiver process, Polanco could potentially elect free agency if the Pirates offer him an assignment to the minor leagues. If he did that, though, he would forfeit the remaining guaranteed money on his contract. If the Pirates do not offer an assignment, Polanco would stay with the team.
If Polanco is selected through the waiver process or if there is a scenario where he does elect free agency and signs by August 31, he would be playoff eligible with his new club.
Polanco also has a $3 million buyout for a 2022 club option, which should be the final payment on a five-year, $35 million extension he signed in 2016.
During his radio show on 93.7 The Fan Sunday, Ben Cherington said he expected Anthony Alford will likely return from the injured list this week, perhaps as soon as Monday. Alford has been on the injured list with back spasms.
Cherington had voiced support for Polanco as recently as last week. On August 13 when asked why Polanco was still getting consistent playing time, he responded:
"I think we have felt, and still feel to this point, that he's a really talented player that's still not that old and we think finally healthy. We think [he's] still capable of being a good major league player. We're not blind to the performance. He is, if you think about the last couple years for Gregory, whether it was injuries or the short season, up until this year, he just simply didn't play a lot of baseball for a while. So I think we've had some desire to give him every chance to play a lot of baseball and find himself again.
"Now that we're past the deadline, I think Shelty [Derek Shelton] will continue to make out the lineups. We talk about playing time, and again, we want to use playing time as effectively as we can, but it's gotta be earned. We want it to be earned. We'll see where that lines out, and Gregory's part of that. He'll have to continue to earn it."
Despite his struggles, Polanco has been committed to trying to making it work with the Pirates.
"I would never want to leave Pittsburgh," he said earlier this month. "I'm comfortable here. I know the city. The fans love me. I love the fans. I love the energy out here. And when we're playing good, you've seen our city, the stadium when we're winning. I want to feel that energy again, for sure. ... I'm 100% in."
Polanco started in right field in the Pirates' 3-0 loss to the Cardinals Sunday, going 1-for-3 with a bunt single. On the season, he is slashing .199/.278/.343 with 11 home runs, 34 RBIs and 14 stolen bases over 367 plate appearances.
Ranked as the Pirates' top prospect, and the No. 10 overall, by Baseball America in 2014, Polanco has never fully lived up to his potential with the Pirates. His best season, 2018, may have also been the year that killed his career. Sliding into second base in the final month of the season, Polanco injured his left shoulder, requiring surgery.
He would play just 42 games in 2019 and then 50 games in 2020, posting OPS marks of .726 and .539 those two years.
Polanco was the last remaining player from the Pirates' 2014 and 2015 playoff teams.
In his seven seasons with the Pirates, Polanco has hit .240 with 96 home runs, 98 stolen bases, 360 RBIs and 3.8 rWAR.
Update: This story has been updated to reflect that Polanco could remain with the major league team if he passes through waivers.
