Tigers Rumors: Jose Iglesias to the Padres makes sense

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Tigers rumors: General Manager Al Avila has made it clear that shortstop Jose Iglesias may not be on the Tigers much longer. Trading him to the Padres makes sense for the right price.

The Detroit Tigers are willing to listen to offers on nearly everyone on their major league roster. In particular, any player that they feel won’t be with the team when they are ready to contend again. Jose Iglesias, who will be a free agent after the 2019 season, certainly fits that bill.

The 28-year-old has been with the Tigers since midseason 2013, when he came over from the Boston Red Sox. The Tigers sent Avisail Garcia to the White Sox and Brayan Villarreal to the Red Sox in exchange for Iggy.

Iglesias has been the starting shortstop ever since, but his offensive performance has left a lot to be desired. Iggy hit .300 with 11 home runs in his All-Star 2014 season, but overall has produced a negative offensive output in the Motor City.

Across his 3.5 seasons in Detroit, Iglesias has slashed .268/.312/.357 with an 82 OPS+. He has a 5.2 bWAR in that time, but almost all of that value comes from his elite defense.

The Tigers have not been shy about Iglesias’ future with the team. General Manager Al Avila was quoted by 97.1 The Ticket discussing Iggy’s timeline with the Tigers.

“We’ve talked about it on a regular basis,” said Avila. “He’s one of those guys that, quite frankly, probably will not be with us in the long run. We have to make sure that we develop a good shortstop in our system for our future.”

Adding onto this situation is the fact that the Tigers will head to arbitration to settle Iggy’s contract, something they have not done since 2001. Iglesias filed at $6.8MM while the Tigers countered at $5.6MM.

Iglesias filed at $6.8 million and the Tigers filed at $5.6 million, according to @JonHeyman.
— anthony fenech (@anthonyfenech) January 12, 2018

So, with Avila publicly stating that the team is not invested in Iglesias long-term, and the two sides inevitably going to battle it out over a contract, a trade sooner rather than later seems like a possibility.

Enter the Padres.

MILWAUKEE, WI – MAY 13: A San Diego Padres hat sits in the dugout /

The Padres already struck a deal for a good defensive shortstop this offseason, swinging a trade for former Phillies infielder Freddy Galvis. Galvis will settle into San Diego’s starting shortstop role. He is coming off a 20 home run, 17 stolen base season in Philadelphia.

However, San Diego is still thin up the middle and presently does not have anyone else capable of playing shortstop on their roster.

The Padres currently have Galvis and Carlos Asuaje pencilled in up the middle. They will have Chase Headley starting at third base with Wil Myers over at first.

That leaves Cory Spangenberg and Christian Villanueva vying for utility roles on opening day.

Spangenberg has never played shortstop and Villanueva has only played three games there in his career.

According to Padres beat reporter Dennis Lin, the team is looking for a “versatile veteran infielder who can back up Freddy Galvis at shortstop”.

Jose Iglesias would fit right in as an extremely experienced shortstop who has also played some third base in the major leagues. While he does not have much experience at second base, his prowess at shortstop would make him an elite defensive second baseman as well, if needed.

According to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Padres have been connected to Alcides Escobar on the open market. They could pursue him even after acquiring Galvis.

Heyman also noted both J.J. Hardy and Alexi Amarista as potential options for the Padres.

Iglesias certainly provides the versatility and experience at shortstop that the Padres crave. Could a deal between the two be reached?

ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 15: Jose Iglesias /

The trade market for Iglesias is a tricky one. Opposing teams already know that the Tigers are not invested in him long-term. Plus, his $5+ million salary is pretty steep for a shortstop who posted a 71 wRC+ last season.

Additionally, any team that makes a move for Iggy likely is viewing him as a backup, which makes him a very expensive utility infielder.

As such, a trade market for Iglesias likely will not bring back much in terms of prospect capital, unless the Tigers are willing to eat part of his contract. Considering they are already hesitant to meet his asking price, that seems unlikely.

The Padres have one of the better farm systems in all of baseball. If they are unable to land a utility infielder who can play shortstop, they could part with a fringe top-30 prospect in exchange for Iglesias. A few options:

Hudson Potts: An 80-grade name, the Padres took Hudson Potts 24th overall in 2016, luring him away from Texas A&M. Potts played shortstop in high school but shifted over to third base in the minors. He has a compact right-handed swing and a lot of power, smacking 20 home runs in Single-A last season. Strikeouts are a concern, but the 19-year-old has the potential to be an impact middle-of-the-order hitter in the future.

Eguy Rosario: Rosario is an 18-year-old middle infield prospect that the Padres signed way back in 2015. He made it up to Single-A last season, stealing 17 bases in just 50 games. He profiles more as a second baseman at the higher levels, although he has experience at shortstop as well.

Mason Thompson: Thompson is a 6’7 right-hander who was throwing 94 mph as a sophomore in high school before Tommy John surgery limited him. Still, the Padres gave him $1.75MM dollars to sign with them out of high school. Injuries have cropped up for him in the minors as well, but the big right-hander has tantalizing potential and still checks in as the Padres No. 19 prospect despite only throwing 39 professional innings. At 19 he is very much a project, but the potential is there.

Next: Four under-the-radar prospects to keep an eye on

Realistically, the Tigers may hold onto Jose Iglesias until the trade deadline. However, if the Padres come calling it would behoove the Tigers to at least listen in. They could acquire a young prospect and shed some salary while getting rid of a player who does not figure to be part of the future in the Motor City.

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Tigers rumors: General Manager Al Avila has made it clear that shortstop Jose Iglesias may not be on the Tigers much longer. Trading him to the Padres makes sense for the right price.

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