PORT ST. LUCIE — OMGoodbye.
A want to guage youthful gamers whereas sustaining roster flexibility led to the Mets backing away from Jose Iglesias this offseason, in line with president of baseball operations David Stearns.
In his preliminary press convention of spring coaching, Stearns on Wednesday indicated that it’s unlikely the free agent Iglesias will return.
Iglesias final yr was the ringleader — producing each within the lineup and rising as a key clubhouse determine — of the “OMG” Mets who resurrected their season after a tough begin and reached the NLCS.
“Where we are now, for that role on our team, it’s important for us to keep some avenues open for our younger players,” Stearns mentioned. “We think it’s important for us to have some roster flexibility with that spot.”
Stearns famous the membership at one level final season didn’t have a backup place participant with minor league choices remaining, leaving the Mets “frozen” for a stretch.
“It’s really tough to freeze your entire position player roster,” Stearns mentioned.
Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Lindor and Mark Vientos are the infield starters.
These with a possibility in camp to win a backup job embody Nick Madrigal, Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña.
Iglesias, 35, produced a .337/.381/.448 slash line in 291 plate appearances for the Mets after he was unsuccessful find a serious league job the earlier season.
