Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Jose Iglesias

When Jose Iglesias started the 2024 season in Triple-A, I’d hesitate to say anyone saw him playing a significant role with the Mets, especially considering he hadn’t registered an MLB at-bat since 2022.

However, Iglesias not only found himself back in the big leagues with the Mets last season, but he played an instrumental role in their magical run to the NLCS.

In 291 plate appearances across 85 games in New York last season, the 35-year-old infielder slashed .337/.381/.448 while posting a 137 wRC+ and a 2.5 fWAR.

The odds of Iglesias repeating this level of offensive production in 2025 are low, however, he brings more than just his bat to the table.

Iglesias demonstrated versatility across the infield last season, posting above-average defensive metrics at both second base (1 DRS and 1 OAA) and third base (4 DRS and 2 OAA) while also providing passable fielding at shortstop (-1 DRS and -1 OAA).

So, as a veteran with a bat that’s flashed some serious offensive upside, who also possesses great defensive versatility and is by all accounts a great clubhouse guy, Iglesias should have no shortage of suitors this winter.

Here are some of the top landing spots for Jose Iglesias in free agency.

Top Landing Spots

Seattle Mariners

It feels like the Mariners have been linked to every free agent second baseman this winter – and fallen short on seemingly every target to this point.

After bad years from both Kolten Wong in 2023 and then Jorge Polanco in 2024, Seattle finds itself with an open hole at second once again.

While options more conducive to everyday roles are still available, such as free agent Ha-Seong Kim or San Diego Padres trade chip Luis Arráez, Iglesias could serve as a suitable backup plan if those names happen to fall through the cracks as well.

He would offer a path to ease Ryan Bliss into the big leagues after the rookie saw just 71 plate appearances last season.

His versatility around the infield would also provide impactful infield support for the projected starters Bliss, J.P. Crawford and Dylan Moore, who all posted fairly uninspiring sub-.700 OPS seasons in 2024.

At this stage in his career, a one-year contract for Iglesias will likely be very affordable, which a team in a financial bind, like Seattle, would certainly benefit from.

San Diego Padres

Another team in a state of financial limbo at the moment is the San Diego Padres, who are reportedly shopping some of their big names, such as Dylan Cease and the aforementioned Luis Arráez.

With each day that passes and each new report that comes out, it gets harder to tell if the three-time batting champion is on his way out of San Diego. Such a trade would subtract another one of the Padres’ infield options; they’ve already lost Ha-Seong Kim to free agency.

If the Padres end up dealing Arráez, with the first base market running dry, Jake Cronenworth would likely shift over to first base, leaving a wide-open hole at second base which Iglesias could fill quite nicely.

Regardless of whether Arráez is a member of this team in 2025 or not, the fact remains that the bottom third of this Padres lineup, as well as the bench, is very weak in comparison to the star-studded top-six led by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.

If Iglesias can look somewhat as promising as he did in 2024 next season, it would do wonders in bridging the gap in quality that San Diego faces between the top and bottom of the order.

The Padres have little to spend this winter. So a value add like Iglesias would be an excellent addition on both sides of the ball and would check a lot of boxes while not breaking the bank.

Atlanta Braves

If you put health aside, the biggest weakness for the Atlanta Braves in 2024 was arguably the shortstop position after a disappointing season from Orlando Arcia.

Arcia only managed to post a 72 wRC+ in 602 plate appearances last season, leaving some to wonder whether a change is in the works this winter at short.

As I mentioned earlier, it’s unlikely Iglesias posts another .337 AVG and 137 wRC+ season. That being said, even if he skews more league-average or even mildly below average like he was in 2021 (89 wRC+) or 2022 (87 wRC+), he could still be a better option than Arcia at short.

At the very least, he could be a more intriguing infield bench player than Nick Allen (.463 OPS in 105 PA in 2024), Luke Williams (.535 OPS in 52 PA in 2024) or Rule 5 selection Christian Cairo (.680 OPS in the upper minors in 2024).

Alex Anthopoulos is great at identifying value adds on the open market, and Iglesias seems like the type of player that would be right up his alley.

The Athletics

With the Athletics spending more than anticipated this winter to avoid a grievance from the MLBPA, they could still very well be in the market for more value additions.

The A’s don’t necessarily need an infielder at the moment, with Zack Gelof manning second, Jacob Wilson at short, and Gio Urshela slated to play third in 2025.

The A’s, however, could benefit from a veteran utility infielder like Iglesias in multiple ways.

At 25 and 22, respectively, both Gelof and Wilson could be key pieces of the Athletics future moving forward. In 2024 though, both looked underwhelming at the plate, with each posting a sub-.700 OPS and sub-90 wRC+.

Having someone like Iglesias who could step in and ease some of the pressure on two young major leaguers could be a real asset here.

At third, Urshela is a guy who picked things up after he joined the Braves mid-season last year, but in 2024 as a whole, he slashed just .250/.286/.361 with an 81 wRC+.

Iglesias would likely have a chance to compete with Urshela for the starting job at third. Should Urshela look more like his 2024 self and less like the 90+ wRC+ guy he was from 2019 to 2023, then Iglesias would have a real shot to get more frequent everyday reps.

Cleveland Guardians

After sending Andrés Giménez to the Blue Jays during the Winter Meetings, the Guardians look to be preparing for the arrival of the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Travis Bazzana.

But while they play the waiting game for Just Baseball’s No. 18 overall prospect, they need to account for who’s playing second in the meantime.

Juan Brito currently projects to be the guy to hold down the for, according to RosterResource.

However, should the Guardians want a bit of a different look than a 23-year-old rookie making his debut after posting just a 113 wRC+ in Triple-A, then Iglesias can be that change of pace as Brito adjusts to the majors.

Iglesias’s fit in Cleveland goes further than just second base, as after back-to-back sub-80 wRC+ seasons at short from Brayan Rocchio, the Guardians could use a viable replacement or at the very least a platoon option for the young switch hitter.

From a bench standpoint as well, even at a diminished version of his 2024 form, Iglesias could be an upgrade over Cleveland’s current utility options in Gabriel Arias (.608 OPS in 161 PA in 2024) and Daniel Schneemann (.671 OPS in 221 PA in 2024).

Other Teams to Consider

New York Mets

If “vibes per nine innings” were a stat in 2024, the New York Mets would have been near the top of the league, and a lot of that was thanks to the great clubhouse presence of Iglesias.

Putting “OMG” aside though, Iglesias seemed to fit extremely well within that Mets infield.

What keeps the Mets outside of the top landing spots, though, is the fact that they’re already pretty well off from an infield standpoint.

Francisco Lindor has short nailed down, Mark Vientos is likely to hold down the hot corner and between Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuña, second base is accounted for.

While the Mets would most likely love to have a 2.5 fWAR player back in the fold in 2025, it doesn’t seem like Iglesias would be in the same position to get the same reps he did in 2024, meaning it might be best for him to explore other options.

Kansas City Royals

After the Jonathan India trade, second base doesn’t seem to be as big an issue in Kansas City as it was at the very beginning of the offseason.

That being said, India projects more as a bat-first second baseman after posting -10 DRS in 2024.

Looking to third base as well, Maikel Garcia is a plus defender with good speed on basepaths, but other than not striking out a lot, his bat leaves a lot to be desired. He produced a 69 wRC+ in 2024.

Iglesias could step in and give the Royals another option at second should they want to DH India more often. He could also provide some offensive upside to ensure Garcia’s below-average bat doesn’t need to make over 600 plate appearances next season if he’s struggling again.

However, the Royals have other more pressing needs to address at the moment than adding another middle infielder, which makes this a team to watch out for but not necessarily one that is a top-tier landing spot for Iglesias.