MLB Trade Rumors: Jose Iglesias has been gathering interest

The trade of J.D. Martinez was expected to be just the first of multiple moves by the Detroit Tigers prior to the trade deadline, and there has been no shortage of rumors coming out of the Motor City since then. While names like Justin Verlander, Alex Avila, and Justin Wilson are grabbing most of the headlines, they may not be the only Tigers on their way out the door.

On Thursday, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that some people within the baseball community are expecting Jose Iglesias to be dealt before the deadline on Monday. This came as a bit of a surprise for a couple of reasons. First, there has been very little chatter regarding Iglesias compared to many of his teammates. More importantly, there seems to be a pretty small market for a shortstop at this time.

Any team needing a shortstop would be wise to make a call to general manager Al Avila, though. At 27 years old, Iglesias still has another round of arbitration before becoming a free agent and is making $4.1 million this season. While he has not played any third base in the past few years, he does have experience at the position in the past.

Iglesias will not post outrageous offensive numbers, and his .257/.287/.355 line this season is far from impressive. However, he posted 102 wRC+ in 2013 and 97 wRC+ in 2015 after missing all of 2014 due to injury, so the potential is there.

Even with less batting numbers, any team acquiring Iglesias is probably looking at his glove first. Known for his defensive wizardry, Iglesias has ranked in the top 10 among qualified in DRS and UZR since 2015. Highlight reel plays are harder to count, but he is right up there with the best of them.

The biggest barrier to trading Iglesias is not his production, but the general demand for a shortstop this season. Almost every contending team is already set at the position, and even a player as solid as Iglesias would hardly represent an upgrade for most teams looking to buy at the deadline.

Nevertheless, Olney and others believe that Iglesias could still be on the move. More information is sure to surface over the next few days, so keep checking Bless You Boys to stay up to date will all of the latest rumors.