Jose Iglesias isn’t ready to close the book on baseball, but if he does come back, he’s drawing a very short list.
The former San Diego Padres utility infielder said in a recent interview with Craig Melvin that he has not filed retirement papers with MLB and would still consider playing again. The catch: it would have to be for the Padres or the New York Mets.
“I’m in that stage in my life where, not just to play, but to play for something.”
That’s a notable line from a player whose life has taken a sharp turn beyond the diamond. In August, Iglesias was announced as the newest cast member of the Broadway production of Buena Vista Social Club, where he plays the Narrator. He’s also been finding success in music: his 2023 debut single "Tambor" has more than 200,000 views on YouTube, and his 2024 single "OMG" hit number one on the iTunes Latin Pop Charts within weeks of its release.
Baseball, meanwhile, has been on pause since last season, when Iglesias appeared in 112 games for San Diego. The 36-year-old became a free agent after the year and has not played since, leading plenty of people to assume he had moved on from the sport altogether.
But Iglesias made it clear he hasn’t officially retired. He said that if the call comes, he’d be open to returning - as long as it’s from one of those two clubs.
The Padres make sense on paper. San Diego had infield issues while pushing for a wild-card berth in 2026.
Jake Cronenworth was concussed early in the season and was often ineffective at the plate when healthy. Sung-Mun Song and Will Wagner didn’t offer much production behind him, while Luis Rengifo caught fire after being claimed off waivers in midseason before a season-ending injury ended his run after 38 games.
Cronenworth’s bat eventually came around, but the Padres’ apparent lack of interest in Iglesias along the way suggests that door may already be nearly shut.
The Mets are the other possible landing spot, though their situation changed dramatically after they traded fan favorites Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo before a disastrous last-place finish in the National League East. Iglesias became a favorite in Queens two years ago after the success of "OMG," and he hit .337 in 85 games for the Mets that season. Even that didn’t guarantee a reunion.
For now, the odds of Iglesias appearing in another major league game - for the Mets, the Padres or anyone else - look slimmer than they once did. Still, the slick-fielding veteran says he’s not ready to put out the light just yet.
In Other News...
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Padres Finally Have A Prospect Reason For Hope Again
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Elliot Lascelles, the Canadian shortstop, drew notice for his hitting and speed, while pitcher Borthwick earned praise for his fastball, secondary pitch and athleticism. For a club that has leaned on the present more than the future, that kind of feedback does not fix the depth issue overnight, but it does suggest the Padres may finally have a little more prospect reason for hope than they have had in a while. [Read more 🡒]