FORT MYERS, Fla. — Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco met as 16-year-olds, wide eyed and new to the United States. Signed as part of the Twins’ 2009 international signing class, the two were grouped together as roommates at the Twins’ facility in Fort Myers, Fla. Kepler, from Germany, and Polanco, from the Dominican Republic, quickly became friends, their journeys with the Twins ultimately intertwining for nearly half their lives.

The pair officially signed five-year extensions with the Twins on the same day in February 2019 and then last October, as they sat at a podium during the American League Division Series, Kepler talked about how special it was to reach that moment with Polanco by his side.

The Twins traded Polanco, one of their longest-tenured players, on Jan. 29 to the Seattle Mariners in a swap that netted them starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, reliever Justin Topa and a pair of prospects. Naturally, Polanco’s presence is very much missed in the Twins clubhouse, particularly by Kepler and those who had been with him the longest.

“I had my long nights where I kind of… not cried, but I was emotional about it,” Kepler said. “… I’ve seen a lot of people come and go at this point, so you almost kind of got to disconnect when it comes to those hard feelings in a way, and just focus on what we have, all the great people and characters we have here right now.”

Byron Buxton, another longtime teammate of Polanco’s, said he and Kepler had talked about how they were “the last two left” during the early days of camp. The Twins have also since moved on from Miguel Sanó, another longtime teammate and member of that 2009 signing class.

“I guess that’s part of the business,” Buxton said. “You cherish the moments, and when that moment happens, some piece goes missing, it’s when you really start missing it. For me, it’s just holding onto the memories we made amongst each other.”

The Polanco was traded wasn’t necessarily a surprise — the Twins were decreasing payroll this offseason, Polanco was due $10.5 million in 2024 and second baseman Edouard Julien had established himself as a major leaguer last season, but it still took some processing within the clubhouse.

Polanco was one of three players — Kepler and Buxton being the other two  — who had been in a Twins uniform for the entirety of Rocco Baldelli’s managerial career.

“There are no perfect people out there, but any ballclub anywhere you look would feel very lucky to have this guy on their side,” Baldelli said of Polanco. “It’s not an easy thing having someone leave that you care about and that has done so many good things for you.”

Polanco, who first debuted in 2014 and established himself as a major leaguer a couple of years later, was steadily, quietly one of the most productive Twins over the greater part of the past decade. The 30-year-old put up an OPS+ of 110 or higher (100 is league average) in five of the past six seasons. One of those seasons, 2019, earned him his first and only All-Star Game appearance.

He was limited by injuries last season, playing in just 80 games, and twice in his career had offseason ankle surgery to address an issue that pained him during the season. But for years, he was a steady presence both on the field, going out there every day to whatever position the Twins wanted to put him at — first shortstop, then second base and at times last season, third base —  and in the clubhouse.

“He was just a presence with our club for a long time. He produced,” Baldelli said. “He was a huge part of all the success here, and he did it quietly, but his production was really loud and meaningful. We knew he was such a reliable player and person. It didn’t take very much energy on my end to manage Jorge Polanco and feel good about what he was doing every day.”

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