Red Sox Urged to Sign 13-Year Veteran in Unexpected Free Agency Buzz

Jon Heyman has a strange suggestion...

May 12, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A bag of baseballs sits on the diamond before a game against between the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Some of the popular talking points about the Boston Red Sox in recent offseasons have been that the lineup is too left-handed, and that the infield defense needed to improve.

With the offseason additions of righty infielders Caleb Durbin, Willson Contreras, Andruw Monasterio, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the Red Sox seemingly tackled both issues. All of those newcomers project to make the opening day roster, and fellow righties Nate Eaton and the injured Romy Gonzalez are also in the picture.

However, one baseball insider believes the Red Sox would benefit from the addition of a 13-year veteran who has already had two stints in Boston.

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Does Jose Iglesias make any sense for Sox?

On Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post floated an out-of-nowhere prospective free-agent target for the Red Sox: 36-year-old Jose Iglesias, who played 112 games for the San Diego Padres last season and produced negative-0.7 bWAR.

"The (New York) Mets, Padres and Red Sox should all consider Jose Iglesias, who remains at home in North Miami, ready and waiting for a call," wrote Heyman.

Iglesias debuted in the majors with Boston in 2011 and was traded to the Detroit Tigers in the middle of the Red Sox's championship season in 2013. Later, he returned in September of 2021 and helped get the team to the playoffs, but was ineligible for the postseason roster.

It's just hard to say Iglesias is anything but redundant to Kiner-Falefa -- a contact-first bat with defensive versatility, but a recent track record that shows there's not a ton of offensive upside (though it's hard to ignore the .337 batting average with the Mets in 2024).

Sure, if all Iglesias wants is a minor-league deal and a chance to show what he can do at Triple-A to start the season, it's not as though there would be some massive opportunity cost to the Red Sox signing him.

But if Heyman is suggesting that Iglesias is some sort of missing piece for this Boston team, he's off-base. It's nearly impossible to see a fit unless multiple injuries occur.