Iglesias, Padres agree to Minors deal (source)

PEORIA, Ariz. -- OMG, Jose Iglesias has landed in San Diego.

Iglesias¡¯ hit recording ¡°OMG¡± became the theme song and rallying cry for the Mets during their second-half march to the NLCS in 2024, and it also seemed to inspire a career resurgence that led to a .337 batting average and an .829 OPS.

The Padres, readying for another postseason run of their own, have agreed to a Minor League contract with Iglesias, a source told MLB.com¡¯s AJ Cassavell on Wednesday. The club has not confirmed the deal. Iglesias is invited to Spring Training, pending a physical, and he is expected to arrive in camp Thursday. He is to earn $3 million if he makes the Major League roster.

Manager Mike Shildt said he made ¡°quite a bit¡± of the part Iglesias played in energizing the Mets last season.

¡°Clearly the [Mets] played very well toward the end, like we did,¡± Shildt said. ¡°Talking to some people who observed that club and were around that area, he was a huge part of that team¡¯s success, relative to his performance on the field and knowing how to play but also the way he went about it, his competitive spirit.¡±

Igleisas is on a familiar path. He played 28 games for the Padres¡¯ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso in the 2023 season, and after signing a Minor League deal with the Mets, spent the first two months at Triple-A Syracuse before having his contract selected May 31.

The Mets were 52-33 in games that Iglesias appeared in and 39-30 in games that he started. Overall, they went 66-40 after selecting his contract, capturing the third NL Wild Card spot.

¡°Excited to have him,¡± Shildt said. ¡°Clearly a proven guy in the league. Plays multiple positions. Integral part of a lot of clubs and their success. Winning player. Very accomplished guy.

¡°Primarily seen him across the field in New York and Colorado. There¡¯s some familiarity and some respect there. We¡¯re excited to have him come in here. It is a good opportunity for him to compete for a spot on the club. That¡¯s what we are here for.¡±

What Iglesias¡¯ addition means for the roster is unclear, although adding proven depth is never a bad thing.

¡°It¡¯s all on the table,¡± Shildt said of the position battles and time juggling that might occur.

¡°We have a competitive camp. We add to it with Iglesias. I think he can play second, short and third very well. That¡¯s a benefit of what we know coming in. This guy¡¯s a proven defender regardless of where you put him.¡±

The Padres did not appear to have a ringing need for an additional infielder, with the projected third-to-first alignment of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth and Luis Arraez. But it may cause a shift in roles.

If Iglesias makes the team, the Padres could find more time for Cronenworth at first base and Arraez at DH. Cronenworth split time between first base and second last season, while sometimes DHing, and first was his primary position in 2023. He is credited with four defensive runs saved by FanGraphs in his five career seasons at first.

Arraez, who locked up his third straight batting title in 2024, is entrenched at the top of the lineup, but it would not be out of the question to see him take more at-bats as the DH, where the Padres do not appear to have a set-in-stone candidate.

Arraez made 61 starts at first base and 46 as the DH for the Padres last season after being acquired from Miami on May 4. Arraez was minus-three in runs saved at both first base and second last year, according to FanGraphs.

Eguy Rosario and Tyler Wade are projected as primary infield reserves, and Wade has spent time in the outfield. Rosario has spent time in the infield and outfield this spring, and he is out of options, so the Padres risk losing him if he doesn't make the team out of spring.

Reserve outfielder Connor Joe also has played first base, and he could provide a right-handed-hitting option at DH in matchup situations.

Iglesias was particularly effective last September. He became the Mets¡¯ starting second baseman after Jeff McNeil suffered a fractured wrist in early September.