The Red Sox keep adding arms but haven’t touched their lineup yet this offseason. They’ve brought in Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and Aroldis Chapman, but the bat rack’s still waiting for reinforcement.
While there’s been chatter about Alex Bregman reuniting with his former Astros bench coach Alex Cora, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter sees a different familiar face heading to Fenway.
Reuter’s looking at Jose Iglesias making his third stint with Boston. It’s not the splashiest move, but it makes a lot of sense. Iglesias knows Fenway well from his runs with the Sox in 2011-2013 and again in 2021.
“Veteran Jose Iglesias could be the perfect stopgap to give Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer a bit more time in the minors to begin the 2025 season,” Reuter writes. “The 35-year-old can easily shift into a utility role once one of those top prospects is ready to take over at second base, and he brings a positive clubhouse presence to a team looking to rebound from a disappointing year.”
Here’s what makes Iglesias an interesting fit: he’s hitting .300 lifetime against lefties and put up a .999 OPS against them last year. Sure, he won’t replace Tyler O’Neill’s power, but his contact skills would help a Sox lineup that struck out more than all but two teams last season.
The glove work’s there too. Iglesias can handle second base as his primary spot, but he’s got the defensive chops to spell Trevor Story at short or give Raffy Devers a breather at third. That versatility’s huge for a team trying to manage the 162-game grind.
It’s not the blockbuster move Sox fans might be dreaming of, but Iglesias could be that missing piece for a team thats trying to make some noise in a wide-open American League. Sometimes it’s the subtle moves that help piece together a contender.
