4) Jose Iglesias
As someone who despises reunions, I can’t help myself but to include Jose Iglesias here. The Mets really do need a veteran presence on the infield even in a bench role. Iglesias showed himself capable of being so much more than that. It can’t be over after just four and a half months. As ingrained in the franchise’s history as he has already become, that’s all we got; June, July, August, September, and half of October.
No Mets fan would hold it against Iglesias to seek out a starting role elsewhere. In fact, we can probably bet on teams giving him an opportunity to inject his liveliness into their locker room. It might take a little more roster maneuvering to give Iglesias the playing time he’d desire. This isn’t a veteran just chasing after a large pay day. He’ll want to actually win and be a big part of it.
Iglesias would be a good match to do exactly what he did for the Mets in 2024. Play a bunch of second base and third base and finish off every game at the latter in place of Mark Vientos.
The fact that Iglesias hasn’t signed yet and his free agency depends minimally on where Soto goes can spring some positive thoughts of a return to the Mets.