Detroit Tigers: Is Jose Iglesias a good fit for the Twins?

The Twins current depth chart

Jorge Polanco sat atop the Twins depth chart at shortstop before his suspension. However, the Twins have a collection of internal options to replace him. Chief among them is veteran utility infielder Eduardo Escobar.

Escobar, 29, has seen over 350 at-bats in each of the last four seasons as Minnesota’s go to utility player. He has primarily played shortstop and third base, although he does have experience at second base and in the outfield as well.

Presently, Escobar is expected to step into Polanco’s role. That leaves the Twins without their top utility man. The team will likely have either veteran Ehire Adrianza or Erick Aybar fill that role, with each having experience at multiple infield positions.

Iggy’s Fit

However, adding Iglesias would allow the team to keep Escobar in his super-utility role, while giving the team a superior defensive shortstop. Polanco is a below average defender, and while Escobar is solid, he provides more value as a utility player.

The Twins could theoretically trade for Iglesias and plop him into the starting shortstop position for the first half of the year. That keeps Escobar in his super utility role, with Adrianza either in the minor leagues or in another bench role. When Polanco is eligible to return, the Twins could flip Iglesias at the trade deadline, and potentially recoup some of the prospect capital that they lost from acquiring Iggy in the first place.

It’s a win-win for a team that is trying to contend in the highly competitive American League. While Iggy is certainly not an elite shortstop option, he would be an upgrade over Escobar and should keep the Twins afloat for a half season while they wait for Polanco’s return.

Any return for Iglesias will be predicated by how much of Iggy’s contract the Tigers are willing to eat. Iglesias is owed $6.25 million in 2018, which is an overpay for a player expected to post a 1.5 fWAR.

The Tigers will have to decide if they want to eat most/all of Iggy’s contract in order to acquire higher profile prospects, or if they want to shed the contract and acquire less heralded prospects.

This is similar to what they faced with Ian Kinsler. At that time, the Tigers decided to shed all of Kinsler’s contract, which netted them two prospects ranked in LA’s top 30. They will likely try and  push most or all of Iggy’s contract on the Twins, knowing that the return will be less heralded prospects.

The Detroit Tigers have a farm system loaded with high-level pitching talent, but lacking in position player depth. Here are a couple position player prospects in Minnesota’s farm that the Tigers could target for Iglesias.

Jose Miranda – Second Base

The Twins drafted Miranda in the second round in 2016. He hit .283 with a league-leading 11 home runs in Rookie ball last year. A 19-year-old second baseman with power is always worth taking a gamble on. Plus, Minnesota is stacked with middle infield prospects so they may be willing to part with him.

Jacob Pearson – Outfield

The 19-year-old outfielder was acquired by the Twins from the Angels in exchange for international slot money, which the Halos used to sign superstar Shoehei Ohtani. Pearson hit .225 in rookie ball last season but was a third round pick, so there is potential here.

Yunior Severino – Second Base

Signed by the Twins after the Braves were forced to release him, Severino hit .286 with 17 doubles in just 189 at-bats in rookie ball. He’s only 18, but like Miranda he’s an intriguing middle infielder with some pop. Worth the gamble.

T.J. White – Third Base

The 26-year-old White hit .276 with 14 home runs and a 144 wRC+ at Double-A last season. The former 18th round pick has posted strong walk rates in the minors and could be brought in as depth in the upper minors.

One of the main reasons the Tigers have been hesitant to move Iglesias is a lack of replacements internally. The Tigers have a fair amount of middle infield prospects, but most of them are not ready to start at the big league level.

Utility Options

Dixon Machado might actually be the most likely candidate to take over the starting shortstop duties. The Tigers projected starting second baseman has started over 700 games at shortstop in his professional career, including 25 last year with the Tigers. He is known for his excellent work defensively, and could immediately replace Iglesias as a glove-first, light hitting shortstop.

Of course, that would leave a hole at second base. Niko Goodrum and Alexi Amarista are both competing to be Detroit’s utility infielder this season. Theoretically, either of them could step in to the starting role at second base.

Goodrum has experience all around the diamond, although the majority of his big league innings last season were at second base. The Tigers would not mind seeing what the 26-year-old who is having a hot spring can do in an every day role.

Amarista has played over 1000 innings at second base in the big leagues. He has also played quite a bit at short, so he could slide into either starting role if the Tigers needed him to.

Dawel Lugo

The last option is prospect Dawel Lugo. The 23-year-old has not risen above Double-A and is likely not ready to start at the big league level. However, he is almost certainly going to play at Triple-A Toledo this year, and if he hits well he could find himself on the big league roster. If Iglesias were out of the picture, Lugo’s path to playing time at second base would be considerably more clear.

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So in conclusion, trading Jose Iglesias to the Twins makes sense for multiple reasons. One, they would clear salary and get prospects back in return. If they don’t move Iglesias, he will sign elsewhere next offseason and the Tigers will not get anything back. Two, it gives them a chance to see what Niko Goodrum, and eventually Dawel Lugo, are made of.

For rebuilding teams, getting playing time for the young players is paramount. This trade helps Detroit do that, while shedding salary and bringing in players who could be future contributors.