Former Boston Red Sox infielder José Iglesias could land his next contract before the start of the 2023 Major League Baseball season.
Iglesias, 33, remains one of the best and most defensively gifted infield options left on the free agency market. But the 11-year veteran could quickly sport a new uniform as the Miami Marlins reportedly have expressed interest, undergoing discussions with Iglesias, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
This comes as no surprise for a few reasons.
For starters, the Marlins dealt shortstop Miguel Rojas to the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason, creating a defensive void in their middle infield. Rojas capped off his 2022 campaign by finishing second among all shortstops in baseball in defensive runs saved (17) while notching a .988 fielding percentage.
While Rojas didn’t provide a whole lot of can’t-miss offensive production, hitting .236 in 471 at-bats, the 34-year-old was valued by the organization greatly for his glovework. And this is where Iglesias could very well help stabilize Miami’s infield this upcoming season.
Iglesias, while hitting .279/.328/.380 in 439 at-bats last season with the Colorado Rockies, also delivered yet another strong defensive year. Playing 116 games at shortstop, Iglesias recorded a .981 fielding percentage in 429 defensive chances.
He’s also coming off a one-year, $5 million contract with Colorado, likely hinting at another short-term agreement for 2023.
The Rockies have also explored the idea of adding Yuli Gurriel, as Heyman mentioned.
