This yr’s Padres lineup is probably not made totally out of present and former shortstops, however on Wednesday, they added one to the fold. Jose Iglesias, who revived his profession with the Mets final season in spectacular vogue whereas additionally scoring an unlikely pop hit with “OMG,” has agreed to a minor league cope with the Padres, one with a non-roster invitation to their main league camp.
Iglesias headed final week’s roundup of distinguished place gamers nonetheless on the free agent market. That’s a very humorous sentence to write down, not solely since this spring hasn’t precisely provided the second coming of the Boras 4, however as a result of Iglesias (who did rent Scott Boras to signify him this previous offseason) wasn’t within the majors in any respect in 2023 after enjoying with six totally different groups over the earlier six seasons. Nonetheless, I led my overview with the 35-year-old infielder as a result of his 2.5 WAR — a profession excessive, accrued in simply 85 video games — was tops among the many group and since the arc of his 2024 season was so compelling.
Coincidentally sufficient, throughout Iglesias’ absence from the majors in 2023 he spent about six weeks with the Padres’ Triple-A El Paso affiliate. This got here after he’d signed a minor league contract with the Marlins and gone by means of spring coaching with them; he opted out just a few weeks into April with out ever enjoying an everyday season sport inside their group. From there, he signed that minor league cope with the Padres, hitting .317/.356/.537 in 28 video games at El Paso. He opted out twice to check the free agent waters however didn’t catch on elsewhere, and performed his final sport of the season on June 7.
In December 2023, Iglesias inked a minor league cope with the Mets. He spent the primary two months of final season at Triple-A Syracuse, hitting a good .273/.309/.442. Amid a flurry of transactions on Might 31 — a degree when the Mets had been 22-33 — the crew optioned third baseman Brett Baty to Syracuse and known as up Iglesias. Supervisor Carlos Mendoza slotted him into the lineup at second base towards lefties instead of the struggling Jeff McNeil, and improbably, the profession .283/.323/.386 (90 wRC+) hitter turned in a scorching .337/.381/.448 (137 wRC+) line in 291 plate appearances. He helped the Mets rally to assert a Wild Card spot and advance all the way in which to the Nationwide League Championship Sequence. He was virtually unstoppable towards lefties, touchdown on a leaderboard among the many sport’s heaviest hitters:
Highest wRC+ In opposition to Left-Handed Pitchers, 2024
That Ty Cobb-circa-1922 imitation was pushed by an insane .456 batting common on balls in play towards lefties. In the meantime, Iglesias’ general .382 BABIP ranked third amongst all hitters with a minimum of 250 plate appearances. It’s not the primary time he’s put up an improbably excessive BABIP; he did so in 2013 (.303/.349/.386, 102 wRC+, .356 BABIP) and ’20 (.373/.400/.556, 160 wRC+, .407 BABIP) as nicely. All of these seasons owe extra to smaller-sample variance than to truly hitting the ball onerous. Final yr, his common exit velocity was simply 85.8 mph — 0.4 mph off his profession excessive, set within the shortened 2020 season — which might have positioned within the sixth percentile if he’d had sufficient batted ball occasions to qualify. Equally, his 2.2% barrel fee would have positioned within the second percentile and his 30.6% hard-hit fee within the tenth. What made his strategy work was his skill to search out what Statcast now calls the launch angle candy spot, which is to say balls struck with a launch angle between eight and 32 levels. Iglesias’s 36.2% sweet-spot fee would have positioned within the 74th percentile. As his spray chart suggests, he flared a flurry of hits over the heads of infielders into brief proper area.
For as unlikely as Iglesias’ scorching bat was, his sudden pop stardom was much more surprising. Since defecting from Cuba to the U.S. when he was 18 years previous in 2008, he’s taken an curiosity in music manufacturing, and over time he’s made quite a few associates inside the music business, together with singer Marc Anthony. Through the 2023-24 offseason, beneath the stage identify Candelita, he collaborated with Cuban singer Lenier on a track known as “No Voy A Volver,” the video for which has since notched over 1.7 million views on YouTube. He additionally wrote “OMG,” a track about staying optimistic amid onerous instances.
Upon becoming a member of the Mets, Iglesias initially used the track as his walk-up music, and it grew to become fashionable inside the Mets clubhouse. Quickly it was performed at Citi Discipline after dwelling runs, and it grew to become such a sensation that its official launch date was moved up by every week in order that he may carry out the track reside after the Mets’ June 28 dwelling sport, instantly earlier than it hit streaming providers. It debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Tune Gross sales chart, and the video has since obtained over 5.2 million views. Just like the crew’s embrace of McDonald’s mascot Grimace (who threw out the primary pitch at a Citi Discipline sport on June 12) and Pete Alonso’s playoff pumpkin, the track was a kind of unlikely talismans that get absorbed right into a profitable season and grow to be a part of the lore.
Alas, Iglesias wound up on the surface trying in because the Mets assembled their roster for 2025. In keeping with a report from Pat Ragazzo of Mets On SI, the crew did provide him a one-year deal, which he declined as a result of he needed a number of years, a tall order given Iglesias’ age, modest observe report, and chance of regression. As an alternative, the Mets signed Nick Madrigal in late January, and a pair weeks later, after re-signing Alonso, president of baseball operations David Stearns mentioned that they supposed to make use of Iglesias’ roster spot “to maintain some avenues open for a few of our youthful gamers,” with Baty, Luisangel Acuña, and Ronny Mauricio the probably beneficiaries of that flexibility. All have minor league choices remaining, as does the 28-year-old Madrigal, although after sustaining a fractured left shoulder in late February, he underwent season-ending surgical procedure.
The Mets downplayed the opportunity of circling again to Iglesias after shedding Madrigal, however whether or not or not that’s associated to the timing of the infielder’s signing with the Padres is unknown. In keeping with the New York Put up’s Jon Heyman, Iglesias will get $3 million if makes the foremost league roster, and may make one other $1 million in undisclosed incentives. As MLB Commerce Rumors famous, as an Article XX(b) free agent — a participant who completed the previous season on a serious league roster or injured listing and has a minimum of six years of service time — his minor league contract affords him three opt-out alternatives, one 5 days previous to Opening Day, the second on Might 1, and the third on June 1.
As for the way he matches in with the Padres, supervisor Mike Shildt mentioned, “It’s all on the desk” in terms of place battles whereas noting that the newcomer “can play second, brief and third very nicely. That’s a good thing about what we all know coming in. This man’s a confirmed defender no matter the place you set him.”
Realistically, Iglesias is not more than a backup shortstop at this stage, although he’s been 24 runs above common on the place in the course of the Statcast period. Final yr, he was one run above common apiece at each second base (in 477 innings) and third (in 130 innings). A contact-oriented hitter with little energy (51 homers in 12 main league seasons), he’s an honest platoon possibility, a righty who owns a 125 wRC+ in 449 PA towards lefties because the begin of 2020, and a good 97 wRC+ in 970 PA towards righties throughout that very same span, that means even when he needed to play day-after-day, he probably wouldn’t be an enormous offensive legal responsibility. That mentioned, our Depth Charts projection forecasts him for only a .265/.304/.369 (89 wRC+) line.
With Xander Bogaerts transferring again to shortstop following Ha-Seong Kim’s signing with the Rays — a transfer that Bogaerts received a head begin on when Kim was sidelined with a shoulder damage final September — the Padres infield appeared set, with Jake Cronenworth returning to second base and Luis Arraez enjoying first. Cronenworth cut up final season between first (80 begins) and second (66 begins), and defensively, he’s playable at each positions. Arraez moved between first (61 begins) and designated hitter (46 begins) final yr whereas moreover recognizing at second (six begins); he’s near DH-caliber at first base (-3 DRS and -4 FRV in 524 innings). Cronenworth and Arraez each swing left-handed and have more and more struggled towards southpaws. Cronenworth has hit .215/.288/.307 (71 wRC+) towards them in 326 PA over the previous two seasons. Arraez hit simply .271/.310/.333 (84 wRC+) in 204 PA towards them final yr and owns a 94 wRC+ in 466 PA towards them over the previous three seasons in comparison with a 132 wRC+ in 1,426 PA towards righties.
Iglesias is well-suited to cowl for both one, enjoying second whereas Cronenworth slots at first if Arraez is the odd man out or the DH. Righty Connor Joe, who’s additionally on the roster, may additionally play first if Shildt is feeling significantly platoon-minded, although his extra pure match is in left area because the brief half of a platoon with Jason Heyward. If Iglesias does make the roster, it stays to be seen whether or not the crew will carry tremendous(?)-utilitymen Tyler Wade (a 30-year-old lefty) and Eguy Rosario (a 25-year-old righty). Wade owns a profession 64 wRC+, hit for only a 56 wRC+ in 156 PA final yr, and tasks to supply a 73 wRC+. Rosario has hit for a 115 wRC+ in 100 PA within the majors, although only a 48 wRC+ in 24 PA final yr; he tasks for a way more serviceable 100 wRC+. Each have a sprinkling of expertise within the outfield, although Rosario has but to play the pasture within the majors. Notably, the latter is out of minor league choices.
Like most minor league offers, Iglesias’ signing isn’t more likely to be a high-impact transfer, however as he confirmed final yr, he’s a helpful participant who may add some good vibes to the crew. Final week, he launched a brand new single, “Solo Tu.” We’ll see if the hit parade continues in San Diego.
