Insider reveals why Mets moved on from Jose Iglesias

The reverberations are still felt around the New York Mets organization after fan favorite Jose Iglesias signed with the San Diego Padres. The team had a reason for moving on, however, and MLB insider Ken Rosenthal recently revealed why.

Iglesias is not a player you look at as the best player on a team. But he is someone who the fans can get behind, and his drive and tenacity can prove to be the spark a team needs in the dog days of summer.

For the Mets, Iglesias served as both that fan favorite and the spark plug they needed in 2024. After starting the season with a 24-35 record, the veteran (and international pop star) helped turn the tide with the team playing 65-38 the rest of the way to finish the year at 89-73 and a spot in the playoffs.

Jose Iglesias in his time with the Mets:

.337 AVG
.829 OPS
4 HR
26 RBI

THANK YOU JOSE 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/FqTRWck8im
— MetsMuse (@MetsMuse) March 5, 2025

The Mets' brass decided earlier in the offseason that they would be better off without Iglesias, despite the massive public outcry for the team to bring him back. The fans did not get their wish, and the veteran signed a minor league deal with the Padres on March 5.

In a recent episode of the podcast "Foul Territory," MLB insider Ken Rosenthal was asked by Alanna Rizzo why the Mets chose not to bring back Iglesias. Rosenthal shed a little more light on the subject.

"The reason the Mets did not sign Iglesias was they do not want to clog up their roster with players who can not be sent back and forth to the minor leagues," Rosenthal said. "And, perhaps more important, they want to look at some of their younger players. Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty is another one, these guys are in the mix and that's why Iglesias didn't quite fit for them."

Jose Iglesias would have blocked some of the @Mets young players, which is why they chose not to bring him back says @Ken_Rosenthal pic.twitter.com/eA7wlsU26j
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 6, 2025

Iglesias has no minor league options left available, so it would take a designation for assignment to remove him from the Major League roster if it became necessary. At that point, he would be put on waivers where any other team could claim him.

While Baty has struggled in his time at the Major League level to this point in his career, this spring has been a turning point for the young slugger. He has two home runs already through 18 at-bats and holds a 1.333 OPS this spring. Without Iglesias creating a log jam in the roster, Baty can now potentially take his hot bat into the regular season and serve as a key piece of the offense at least in the early stages of the year.

Acuña showed promise in a small sample size at the Major League level in 2024, knocking three home runs in 39 at-bats and holding a .966 OPS for a fantastic start to his Major League career. While he has dealt with injuries this spring, he can still be a pivotal young piece of the offensive depth alongside Baty in 2025.

The insight from MLB insider Ken Rosenthal makes sense from the team's perspective; keeping guys in the minors longer than they need to can hurt their confidence. And while the Mets and Jose Iglesias caught lightning in a bottle once, it never strikes in the same place twice.

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