Dodgers Rumors: NL West Rival Signs Free Agent Shortstop with Ties to LA

Many are speculating they decided to snatch him before the Dodgers did.

The San Diego Padres are continuing to hoard shortstops. Their most recent acquisition was someone who's been linked to the Dodgers over the last week, former All-Star shortstop Jose Iglesias. They signed him to a minor league deal on Tuesday, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Jose Iglesias has agreed to a Minor League deal with the Padres, per source.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) April 25, 2023

The move definitely comes as a surprise, as the one position the Padres don't need is a shortstop. They have Xander Bogaerts, who's going to be manning that position for a very long time. They also have Ha-Seong Kim, who was a Gold Glove finalist at the position last year, and this year has moved to second base. And then they also have Fernando Tatis Jr., who they've moved to the outfield, away from his original position of shortstop. And that doesn't even include Manny Machado, who has found a home at third base, but used to be a Gold Glove shortstop.

Now, though, you can add Iglesias to the mix for the Padres, who will be providing minor league depth, and will hope to make an impact on the big league club at some point this season.

Iglesias has been with six teams over the course of his long MLB career that began in 2011. His best season as a pro came in 2015, when he made the All-Star team for the first and only time in his career. However, he's always been a serviceable shortstop, even last year in his age-32 season with the Colorado Rockies when he hit .292 in 118 games.

Iglesias had been linked to the Dodgers as a potential option with all the injuries they had suffered at the position. However, it didn't appear that the Dodgers were interested, and now that book has officially closed.

It's safe to wonder why the Padres made this move, considering shortstop is not a position they need any more depth at. I think it's a bit much to say they did this to prevent him from signing with the Dodgers, but I do think it's a pretty funny narrative that people have speculated about on Twitter.

Either way, Iglesias is now with the Padres, so he will not be joining the Dodgers as a potential shortstop option. The Dodgers will either have to continue looking at internal options, or look to the trade market, where there are some intriguing candidates.