Both the New York Mets and the New York Yankees require infielders. The Mets lost recently acquired shortstop Nick Madrigal on Feb. 23 when he fractured his shoulder in a spring game against the Washington Nationals and was placed on the 60-day injured list.
The Yankees’ infield is a disaster after losing second baseman Gleyber Torres in free agency, followed by a rash of ailments in spring training, including third baseman D.J. LeMahieu with a painful calf. Both teams, however, have had numerous opportunities to add an experienced, free agent middle infielder whose offensive numbers, although not amazing, have outperformed LeMahieu’s over the last five years. But the Yankees passed on Jose Iglesias, a 35-year-old 12-year veteran.
The Mets also failed to sign Iglesias, despite the fact that fans would have been thrilled to reunite with the infielder who not only had an impressive.830 OPS in 85 games for the team in 2024, but also scored a No. 1 hit single on Billboard Magazine’s Latin chart with his song “OMG,” which quickly became the Mets’ unofficial theme song as they made their unlikely run to the National League Championship Series.
More MLB: Outfielder Shuts Down After Injuring Knee with Sprinkler Head But Iglesias will not return to New York, either for more “OMG” magic in Queens or as an infield savior for the struggling Bronx Bombers. Instead, according to Jack Magruder of MLB.com, the Cuban-born middle infielder has signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres, who have placed second to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West in three of the last five seasons.
According to the agreement, Iglesias will participate in the Padres’ spring training with the big club, and if promoted to the major league roster, his compensation for the season will be $3 million. According to MLB insider journalist Jon Heyman, incentive clauses could increase Iglesias’ salary by $1 million in 2025. Iglesias had previously voiced hope for a reunion with the Mets, telling the team’s cable television network SNY, “It’s not over until I sign with someone else.” He has now signed with someone else, and both the Mets and the Yankees are still looking for infield help.
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