Inside The Mets

Jose Iglesias details shock of Mets disinterest in free agency reunion

Jose Iglesias got brutally honest about the New York Mets' front office not pursuing him in free agency.
Grant Young|
Mar 12, 2025; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jose Iglesias gets ready for a game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images
Mar 12, 2025; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Jose Iglesias gets ready for a game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

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Anybody who watched the New York Mets in the second half of the 2024 season could tell how important Jose Iglesias was to the team's success, both on and off the field.

While the .337 average and .830 OPS Iglesias produced as part of a second base platoon were invaluable, it was his presence in the locker room that set him apart. His "OMG" song was the team's anthem and brought a ton of energy to the team, to the point where Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos asserted that he believed Iglesias should have won NL MVP over Shohei Ohtani last season because, "If you're looking at the MVP as having the most weight on creating wins for your team, there's no other player that has had that much weight as Jose Iglesias."

Iglesias was a free agent after the 2024 season. And given his impact on the Mets' success last year (and their apparent need for a second baseman), the belief was that Iglesias would likely re-sign and remain in New York.

That ended up not being the case. The Mets weren't interested in a reunion, and Iglesias signed a deal with the San Diego Padres instead.

And in a May 7 interview that Iglesias did with Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post, Iglesias admitted that he was shocked that the Mets didn't offer him any free agency deal, as it was always his goal to return to Queens.

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Iglesias also added he was definitely disappointed in the decision by the front office, given how important he was to the culture that the Mets built in 2024. However, he also understands that it's a business and that New York wanted to give younger players like Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña an opportunity.

He also added that he can't wait to play in the playoffs against the Mets this year.

The Mets and Padres' next meeting is for a three-game slate that starts on July 28 in San Diego.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Mets and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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