The Mets have added veteran infielder José Iglesias on a minor league contract, per The Athletic’s Will Sammon. The deal also includes an invitation to spring training.
Mets say they’ve signed INF José Iglesias to a minor league contract with an invitation to major league spring training.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 5, 2023
Iglesias last played for the Rockies in 2022 and hit .292 in 118 games. His 2023 season was limited to 28 games for the Padres’ Triple-A team in El Paso, and he hit .317 with four homers. Iglesias has also played for Boston, Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati in 11 MLB seasons. He was an All-Star in 2015.
As for the Mets, signing Jose Iglesias is exactly what it looks like. He’ll be infield depth behind a talented youth core of Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, plus veterans Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso.
It’s also fair to assume the Mets will give Iglesias a look as a utility infielder behind Swiss Army knife Jeff McNeil. Perhaps he’ll get some reps in the outfield, a la the Yankees’ Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswaldo Cabrera. First-year manager (And, ironically, former Yankees bench coach) Carlos Mendoza has a clean slate and plenty of options.
However, there is also an avenue where Jose Iglesias doesn’t make the Mets out of spring training. Again, he’s primarily a singles hitter and his infield defense is rapidly declining. He’ll be 34 years old by spring training and surely doesn’t want to grind through the minors, waiting for someone to get either released or injured. He could very well refuse an assignment to Triple-A and hit the market again.
But for now, Jose Iglesias is a smart and practical move for new team president David Stearns. He’s overseeing the first true culture change under owner Steve Cohen. Adding Iglesias is just window dressing, a side dish for the team’s ultimate interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
This is clearly a new, no-nonsense Mets front office. It’s not a big signing, but a sensible one. Let’s see what else Stearns has up his sleeve.
