Memories of Jose Iglesias

[G-Fafif]

OMG! The emotional sparkplug of the 2024 Mets signs with San Diego.

[MFS62]

Joy and enthusiasm.



Later

[Edgy MD]

If he joined the team for another year/year and a half or so, he might have been the all-time 11.



[media=youtube]MGNyozXDzPs[/media]

[roger_that]

I was kinda hopin' he'd a made it to the Mets roster, against all odds. Maybe he still will in some mid-season Mets-Padres wheelin'-dealin'.

[smg58]

So Iglesias wasn't worth matching a minor-league deal and Quintana wasn't worth $5M (but Blackburn and Canning are). I've like most of our offseason, but I don't get these.

[smg58]

As far as memories... he made a difference simply by showing up.

[Chad ochoseis]

The Dark Horse Met to end all Dark Horse Mets, at least among position players. I don't think anyone will ever top R. A. Dickey.

[metirish]

I think as a fan it is easy to get caught up in the fun memories of OMG etc , but, he hit and had a good glove , can he expect more playing time in SD ?

[Edgy MD]

San Diego is still kind of the team made up of all shortstops.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Lipsynching at second base after a feelgood Astros game on a Friday night. Fun night to be at big shea

[Frayed Knot]

I think the reason he's gone is that he couldn't even finish the double play in the above clip.

I mean ya gotta get two there, no?

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: I think the reason he's gone is that he couldn't even finish the double play in the above clip. I mean ya gotta get two there, no?

In school we would have called you a tough grader.

LOL!



Later

[The Hot Corner]

I can't imagine not offering a deal better than a minor league deal. I guess the Mets want to give the kids Acuna, Baty, Mauricio, and Williams a shot. signing Iglesias would likely block a path for one of the youngsters.

[Edgy MD]

The Mets reportedly did offer him an MLB deal for a year but they weren't particularly close on terms and they pivoted to Madrigal.

[Lefty Specialist]

He'd be blocking too many people. Baseball is a bidness, after all. I'm actually surprised they made an offer to him (if the reporting is true).



That being said, that impromptu concert was when I knew this would be a fun season no matter how it turned out. And it just got better and better from there.

[Cowtipper]

I liked him and really wanted him back. OMG brought a real spark to the club, even though they drove it into the ground in about two weeks. A .337 average and .381 OBP from THIS guy? Really?



However, there must be something off-putting about him that we don't see as Iglesias, who is outwardly viable in terms of years and ability, didn't play in the majors at all (and spent just 28 games in the minors) in 2023, didn't reach the majors with the Mets until the last day of May, and didn't sign with the Padres until just recently. That's three years in a row where teams were hesitant with him or not interested in him.

[Frayed Knot]

I think Met mgmt probably thinks they caught lightning in a bottle with him and, similar to the stories about them figuring that the 36 y/o Quintana's ERA and BA-against

kind of success in '24 were likely unrepeatable given his hard-hit rates, that a second season of what they got from Iglesias over 290 PAs last year wouldn't repeat either.



Would have loved to see him return just for his fielding prowess and versatility alone, but would he have produced the same results?

He's now 35 y/o with a career OPS/OPS+ (prior to 2024) of 701/88 which is a far cry from the 830/137 he gave us last year.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Frayed Knot wrote: I think Met mgmt probably thinks they caught lightning in a bottle with him...

I was about to use that exact phrase in my reply.

[roger_that]

They certainly would have had to overpay him for what they could reasonably expect in 2025. A year like he had in 2024, followed by a FA year, he had to see big money coming his way, or at least a shot at it, even if teams tended to think "Almost certainly a fluke year, never gonna see that again from him."



A shame because the one part of 2024 that is replicable is his fielding, which we needed, especially at 2B and still need. I still hold out hope that the Mets could pick him up (with the Padres paying most of his salary) during the year if they get sick of him.