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 broke his shoulder in a spring game against the Washington Nationals and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. The Yankees’ infield is a disaster after losing second baseman Gleyber Torres in free agency, followed by a spate of ailments in spring training, including third baseman D.J. LeMahieu with a painful calf. Both teams, however, have had several opportunities to add an experienced, free agency middle infielder whose offensive stats, although not amazing, have outperformed LeMahieu’s over the previous 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 likely been thrilled to reunite with the infielder who not only compiled an impressive .830 OPS in 85 games for the team in 2024 – he 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 improbable run to the National League Championship Series.
But Iglesias will not be returning to New York, either for more “OMG” magic in Queens or as an infield savior for the battered Bronx Bombers. Instead, according to a report by Jack Magruder of MLB.com, the Cuban-born middle infielder has inked a minor league deal with the San Diego Padres, the team that finished second to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West in three of the last five seasons.
Under the deal, Iglesias will take part in the Padres’ spring training with the big league club, and if he is promoted to major league roster, his salary for the season will be $3 million. Incentive clauses could add another $1 million to Iglesias’s 2025 paycheck, per a report by MLB insider journalist Jon Heyman. Iglesias had earlier expressed hope that he could reunite 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 the Mets and Yankees are both still searching for infield solutions.
