OMG

[Centerfield]

As in "One More Go".

What say you guys. Bring back Jose Iglesias? The journeyman SS will be 35 years old and will likely not put up another season of .337 BA (.830 OPS). But if you look at his recent history, maybe this past season wasn't as much of an outlier as we thought. Consider:

2024 AAA Syracuse (42 games): .273/.309/.442 - .751 OPS
2023 AAA El Paso (28 games): .317/.356/.537 - .892 OPS
2022 DEN (118 games): .292/.328/.380 - .708 OPS
2021 LAA/BOS (137 games): .271/.309/.391 - .701 OPS
2020 BAL (39 games): .373/.400/.556 - .956 OPS
2019 CIN (146 games): .288/.318/.407 - .724 OPS

That's 5+ years of pretty decent production for a backup infielder. Batting average in the high .200's, creeping up over .300 for stretches of time. Doesn't really walk, and doesn't hit for power, but bat-to-ball skills with GG defense is pretty useful. The downside is that we have a lot of infielders looking to break through, and bringing back Jose takes ABs away from the young guys.

He definitely wants to come back. In fact, he says "we" alot, when referring to the Mets, which is odd for a guy who's a free agent.

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, he looks like a rock-solid investment.

He's the sort of guy who the lack of a new contract is probably less about their respect for his value and more about a philosophical objection to sign reserves to contracts that aren't quickly moveable if somebody else steps up. He's probably looking for multiple years — and at this stage of his career, it's not surprising that he's had to wait past the new year in search of it. It doesn't mean it's not out there, however.

One year plus a vesting option probably would be workable for the right $$. Their reserve infielders right now are Jared Young and Ronny Mauricio. One of them will be knocked off the roster if and when they add Alonso or an alternative, but both have options.

So, yeah, there's room for Iglesias. And he has defensive value even if he's not hitting.

[The Hot Corner]

I think he would be a smart addition. He provides stellar defense and second, shortstop, and third. He hits reasonably well and he seems to have been a "good teammate". He would provide an insurance policy should (heaven forbid) Lindor have to miss significant time. Lastly, he should come reasonably cheap. It seems like a smart move. I think he is not considered a priority move at this point, hopefully the Mets will get around to signing for a 1 (or 2) year deal once they get the first base vacancy resolved.

[metirish]

I would be happy to see him back , seems like a great guy in the clubhouse house too

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Played well enough to have made himself an option for a shitty team that might need a starter; I figure that's why he hasn't re-upped yet cuz if it were up to the Mets they'd take OMG

[Cowtipper]

Of course bring him back. He was part of the spark that made the 2024 team what it was. There's plenty of juice left to be squeezed from this orange.

[kcmets]

Is Jose the chubby purple guy that used to work for McDonald's?
By all means, bring him back and super-size it!

[Gwreck]

Their reserve infielders right now are Jared Young and Ronny Mauricio. One of them will be knocked off the roster if and when they add Alonso or an alternative, but both have options.

So, yeah, there's room for Iglesias. And he has defensive value even if he's not hitting.

You don’t think Baty or Acuna can make the roster?

[Edgy MD]

Oh, they certainly can. Right now, Baty is looking like the thirdbasman on opening day.

[Gwreck]

Oh, I see. It was my expectation the Mets wouldn’t go into the season with Baty assumed to be playing anywhere.

If Baty’s assumed to be in the starting lineup then sure, Iglesias is probably not a bad option to have around. But a repeat of the past year’s performance (or something close to it) seems quite optimistic.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I suspect that Mauricio and Acuna are higher on the depth chart than Baty. If the season were to start now, once we got over the initial surprise of a January Opening Day, I think I'd have Acuna at second, McNeil at third, and Vientos at first.

[batmagadanleadoff]

My guess is that those slots haven't been sorted out just yet and that Spring Training performances will go a long way in deciding those matters. Baty's entire MLB career has been one dreadful struggle up till now but he has quite the pedigree: he was a high first round draft pick and not too long ago, a consensus top 25 prospect. And obviously whether the Mets sign a name corner infielder like Alonso or Bergman will impact this. This is all still very much in the air is my guess.

[Edgy MD]

It certainly is up in the air. I'm trying to look at track record to date, but these are objects in motion still on the track. In the cases of Maurico and Acuña, this is almost literally true, as both are playing winter ball at the moment (and both are excelling).

And as for "opening day thirdbaseman," it's almost a moot point, as the Mets are widely expected to add another corner infielder.

[metirish]

Taking the piss?

[metirish]

Apparently he is not

[batmagadanleadoff]

OK, Nick. Whatever you say. Hey! I'm a Mets fan, so yeah. /does the raises one eyebrow thing

[Edgy MD]

My favorite part is when he declares "the way I look at baseball, José is the unanimous" MVP. Somehow, his opinion his so powerful that it can change the fact that there are other opinions.

My second-favorite part is when he says "I'm not stupid."

In between, he makes a really solid argument while being so obviously wrong.

[smg58]

Amed Rosario got a year and $2M a couple of days ago, and Donovan Solano just got a year and $3.5M. It is definitely a buyers' market for righthanded utility types. A year and $5M might be generous in the infielders market, but I wouldn't hesitate to bring Iglesias back for that.

[metirish]