The San Diego Padres and veteran infielder Jose Iglesias have agreed to a minor-league contract, a team source confirmed Wednesday. The deal includes an invitation to the team’s big-league camp.
Iglesias, 35, put together one of the best seasons of his career in 2024 after not appearing in the big leagues the previous year. After signing a minor-league deal with the New York Mets, he resurfaced in the majors in May, hit .337/.381/.448 in 85 games and became a fan favorite whose “OMG” song served as a team rallying cry.
The Padres will hope for similar results from Iglesias, who spent part of the 2023 season with San Diego’s Triple-A club. Iglesias joins Eguy Rosario and fellow veterans Yuli Gurriel, Gavin Sheets and Mike Brosseau as non-roster, out-of-option infielders who are competing for a bench job.
With a career slash line of .283/.323/.386, Iglesias ostensibly remains a strong contact hitter as well as a versatile defender. Once a starting shortstop, he primarily split his time last season between second base and third base. He also benefited from a likely unsustainable .382 batting average on balls in play, although his expected average (.285) still indicated a solid approach.
The Padres will owe Iglesias a $3 million base salary if he’s on the big-league roster, the New York Post reported. FanSided first reported the news of Iglesias’ agreement.
(Photo: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
