The Pirates have put right-back Gregory Polanco in direct exemptions, several sources told Athletic on Sunday.
The deadline for any of the other 29 clubs to claim Polanco is Tuesday. If not claimed, Polanco may choose to be a free agent. With seven years and more of service time in the major leagues, Polanco, who earns $ 11.6 million this season, will still have to pay the full amount of his contract money.
Once identified as a staple of the club, 29-year-old Polanco left Pittsburgh. He is hitting .199 / .278 / .343 with 11 homers, and his 26.7% channel percentage is the third worst of the right-wing players in the National League.
If he releases Polanco now, pirates can move forward with younger players and looking to 2022 and beyond. In the short term, this could mean more playing time on the field for Anthony Alford and Hoy Park. Alford is on the injured list due to low back tension, but general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday during his weekly radio show that Alford will likely be activated this week.
Park, which was acquired last month from the Yankees through the Clay Holmes trade, does not have much experience in the outside field. Still, manager Derek Shelton believes Park has the ability to manage the job. The last five weeks of the season should be a good testing ground.
“We’ve put Hoy in some tough situations,” Shelton said.