Assuming Tejada costs too much, Polanco probably would be my No. 1 target. His current salary is $4.5 million and he is coming off a down offensive season, which might depress his ability to get a lot of money. I view him as a poor man’s Tejada on offense; but he would be an upgrade on defense at 3d base. He is a contact hitter who ordinarily hits for high average like Tejada, doesn’t strike out much, and posted a career OBP of .341 (exactly the same as Tejada’s). His defense is called “spectacular,” as evidenced by his gold gloves at 2d base, and he has played quite a bit at 3d during his career (unlike Tejada) with good defensive results (according to UZR). Wade traded for him previously, while with the Phillies.

Polanco was unlucky based on BABIP last year and is a good pick to bounce back on offense. Here is a recent Fangraphs article on Polanco. I would hope that he could be signed for something like $5 million/year. Some people have suggested that the Phillies would use Polanco as a utility player or in a platoon (these are fans, not the front office….so who knows). If that is the case, the Astros could have the advantage of offering him a starting position.