Milwaukee Brewers Free Agent Targets: SS Jose Iglesias

Adding some competition at shortstop should be on the Milwaukee Brewers’ to-do list this offseason and signing free agent Jose Iglesias makes a lot of sense.

The Milwaukee Brewers have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, which includes adding a starting pitcher to the mix and trying to bring back either Yasmani Grandal or Mike Moustakas among other things. But what should also be on GM David Stearns’ to-do list is adding some competition at shortstop.

In the previous three seasons, the shortstop position has been held down for the most part by Orlando Arcia. But over the last two seasons, Arcia’s performance at the plate has left a lot to be desired. Over that span, he has a .228 batting average, a .610 OPS and an OPS+ of 60. Yikes.

However, the Milwaukee Brewers have tolerated Arcia’s inconsistent bat because of his stellar defense, but even that dropped off a bit in 2019.

Having that kind of production – or lack thereof – has left a big hole at the bottom of the batting order and adding some competition for Arcia is something that Milwaukee should look into because internally, they just really don’t have a viable option.

Enter free agent, Jose Iglesias who the Brewers were interested in last offseason and may feel the same way this year as well.

Iglesias spent the 2019 season on a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds after spending the previous five seasons in Detroit. Since entering the big leagues in 2011, Iglesias has a career slash line of .273/.315/.371, totaling a .687 OPS. He also has a career OPS+ of 84, with 32 home runs, 247 RBIs, and 52 stolen bases.

Iglesias is a contact hitter who doesn’t strike out much, just 12.1 percent over his career but he also doesn’t draw many walks either at just 4.5 percent of the time. He won’t hit many home runs and instead he hits a lot of ground balls, however, putting the ball in play as often as Iglesias does can be quite valuable at the bottom of the batting order.

Defensively, Iglesias doesn’t bring the same playmaking ability or flash to the position as Arcia does, but not many do. In his career spanning nine seasons, Iglesias has 20 Defensive Runs Saved above MLB average while Arcia has 13 in just the last three seasons. Also, according to Inside Edge Fielding, Arcia is much more likely to pull off the difficult play, but with that said, Iglesias has been more reliable on the routine plays.

Although there might be a slight dip in defensive performance going with Iglesias over Arcia, the Milwaukee Brewers over the last year and a half have shown that they are willing to sacrifice defense if it makes the offense better.

As far as the cost to acquire Iglesias goes, in today’s free agent market it is difficult to know exactly what a player will command, but in Cincinnati, Iglesias made $2.5 million in 2019. If his services for the 2020 season stay in that range, then the Milwaukee Brewers absolutely have to look into acquiring him.