Is A Jose Iglesias Reunion Out of the Question for the Padres?

It's hard to remember now, but Jose Iglesias was the only bench player who made the San Diego Padres' 2025 Opening Day roster and lasted throughout the entire season. Martin Maldonado was immediately released upon the acquisition of Freddy Fermin at the trade deadline, Brandon Lockridge was sent to Milwaukee in the ill-advised Nestor Cortes deal, and Yuli Gurriel didn't even make it through April before being designated for assignment.

Iglesias, 36, didn't necessarily earn that distinction by virtue of his brilliant play; he hit .229/.298/.294 in 343 plate appearances with the Friars, good for a 73 wRC+. Perhaps more damning, he posted the worst defensive metrics of his sterling career, with Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average both grading him in the negatives for his combined work at second base, third base, and shortstop. Still, that kind of versatility is extremely valuable, particularly for a Padres team that has older players slated to start on the left side of the infield (Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts).

The current bench situation in San Diego is largely unsettled at the moment; Luis Campusano is penciled in as the No. 2 backstop, but that's far from a guarantee as A.J. Preller continues to sniff around possible upgrades on the trade market. Bryce Johnson looks likely to break camp as the fourth outfielder, but his lack of power could create an opening for someone else to run away with the job. Will Wagner and Mason McCoy would be fine infield depth, but neither has done enough at the major-league level to feel confident in their ability to fill in for Machado, Bogaerts, or Jake Cronenworth for any extended period of time.

Now, Sung-mun Song does change the calculations here a bit as a versatile piece in his own right. He'd be an excellent first-man-off-the-bench option, but the Padres' need for a first baseman and designated hitter (pending Gavin Sheets' development) could force Song to start on a regular basis. Adding a full-time starter at the cold corner would create a hugely important snowball effect that would push Song into a reserve role, but until that happens, the Friars don't have a starting-caliber infielder projected to make the Opening Day roster as a bench player.

Iglesias may no longer fit that description either, but it was only one year ago that he was a cult hero for the New York Mets, posting a 136 wRC+ and 2.5 fWAR in just 85 games in the Big Apple. He was also much better with the glove while primarily playing second base. The advanced metrics weren't quite so kind, but the green flags in his profile stood out: a 13.4% strikeout rate and 15.2% whiff rate that both ranked above the 90th percentile for all MLB hitters in 2024.

It's fair to call that a "Linsanity" run for a player who has never been known for his bat, particularly after Iglesias recorded awful batted ball and contact data in 2025 with the Padres. As a slow swinger who doesn't work a ton of walks, the 36-year-old needs to parlay his bat-to-ball skills into frequent hits to provide any value at the plate. Perhaps at his age, it's wishful thinking to assume he can ever get back to his form with the Mets.

But the Padres wouldn't need him to necessarily do that, should they re-sign him. Better defense alone would go a long way to making this team deeper, as would any semblance of his once-elite sprint speed that also began to decay last year. If he could find even a middle ground between his production in 2024 and 2025, he'd be a league-average bat capable of playing every infield position (besides first) with league-average proficiency. That might not sound valuable on the surface, but that's a ridiculous step up from what the Friars got out of their reserve unit last year. So long as his one-game suspension stemming from the Padres' playoff series loss to the Cubs is served without any backlash, there's reason to believe this partnership could be more lucrative the second time around.

There are other ways to solve this bench problem. Perhaps Jose Miranda rediscovers his best form in San Diego and makes the team as a non-roster invitee to spring training. Maybe Tirso Ornelas finally emerges as a valuable piece and allows the team to trade Bryce Johnson for infield help. Or, as aforementioned, the Padres could add a first baseman and push Sung-mun Song into a backup role.

There's a good argument to be made that all of those options are preferable to re-signing Iglesias after his middling debut season in San Diego. But the veteran infielder is a known quantity with a recent history of success. As a last resort, a reunion with Iglesias shouldn't be ruled off the table — especially if the alternative is standing pat.