OMG, Jose Iglesias’ dream of reuniting with the New York Mets has officially ended.
The veteran utility infielder, who helped spark the Mets’ miraculous mid-season turnaround last year from 11 games under .500 to the NLCS, has signed with the San Diego Padres, per multiple reports Wednesday.
A minor-league signing last December, Iglesias was called up out of necessity in May and batted .337 with an .830 OPS in 85 games. Also known as the recording artist “Candelita,” he dropped the soundtrack of the Mets’ summer with his smash-hit “OMG.”
But Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns showed virtually no interest in re-signing Iglesias this winter, opting to ink another veteran in Nick Madrigal to assume the utility-infielder role. Madrigal suffered a shoulder injury early in spring training and could miss the entire 2025 season. It has opened a competition headlined by Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna for one of the final roster spots.
Luisangel Acuna vs. Brett Baty: Who breaks camp with Mets for Opening Day 2025?
All the while, Iglesias was holding out hope that he would make his way back to Queens.
“It hurts because we started something that definitely isn’t finished yet,” Iglesias told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “It took a lot for us to get where we got. That’s what hurts. I definitely get that it’s a business. But it definitely hurts.”
