12 Former Red Sox Available in Free Agency

6. Jose Iglesias

Climbing up through the ranks as a Red Sox minor leaguer, infielder Jose Iglesias made his MLB debut on May 8, 2011. Iglesias only appeared in a combined 35 games between 2011 and 2012 before his real breakthrough game in 2013.

After hitting .330 in 63 games for Boston in 2013, Iglesias was dealt at the trade deadline to the Detroit Tigers as part of a three-team deal that returned Jake Peavy to the Boston Red Sox.

Ironically, Iglesias would ultimately face off against the Red Sox as a member of the Tigers in the 2013 ALCS – committing a costly error in the eighth inning of Game 6 that led to Shane Victorino's pennant-winning grand slam. Iglesias finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting following the season.

Iglesias has bounced around six different franchises in his career – including a short reunion with the Red Sox in 2021 at the end of the regular season. He hit an impressive .356 in 23 games, but was ruled ineligible for the postseason since he joined the club after Aug. 31.

Iglesias spent the entire 2023 season and the beginning of the 2024 season in the minor leagues before he was called up to the New York Mets at the end of May. With the Mets, Iglesias became somewhat of a folk hero among their fans – largely due to his song "OMG" which he recorded under the stage name Candelita.

The song became an unofficial team anthem as the Mets and Iglesias caught fire. The Mets posted the best record in baseball from May 31 (Iglesias' MLB debut) to Sept. 30, while Iglesias finished the season on a 22-game hitting streak between Sept. 6 and Sept. 30 – a stretch in which he hit .395.

Iglesias will be 35 when next season starts and has expressed interest in returning to the Mets. The Padres have also been linked as a landing spot for the infielder.