Though I am happy with the Jake Peavy trade, I'm a bit sad to see Jose Iglesias leave. I will miss some of the plays he made on the left side of the infield, getting to balls no Sox fielder could reach and making very accurate throws.
As I wrote in a piece this spring, I'm tired of the Sox' revolving door of shortstops. Since Nomar left in 04, there has been literally a parade of men at the position. They range from good-hit, no field players like Edgar Renteria to journeymen like Alex Gonzales, who had two stints with the team, to Julio Lugo, who didn't seem to do anything too well.
This writer was hoping that Iglesias could make it at the bat, at least to a .250 level. The club did not think so. One of the reasons the Sox signed Stephen Drew last winter was to hold the shortstop position for Xander Bogearts. Iggy began the season pretty much as a utility man and spent some time in Pawtucket. The situation changed when Drew got hurt and Will Middlebrooks slumped and was sent down. Iglesias got a chance to play regularly at third and short and surprised everyone by hitting over .400 in his first few weeks, showing some ability to leg out hits. He also exhibited a bit of power, with 10 doubles and a homer. But as the season wound into July, he began to look more like the man who had trouble even approaching the Mendoza Line in 2011 and 2012. In his last 11 games, he was 4 for 40 with no extra-base hits. His average fell from over .400 to .330.
The three-team trade with Detroit and Chicago fit perfectly. With Jhonny Peralta likely to be suspended for p.e.d. use, there was an opening for the Tigers at short. The Sox, rightly worried about losing young arms like Allen Webster and Brandon Workman, saw a way to get Peavy at a relatively low cost.
Iglesias' departure means that the revolving door will continue for now. Hopefully Bogearts, a good hitter with some power and an above-average fielder, should become the regular shortsop, at least by 2014. Drew, also a good glove man, may be kept around as insurance.
Despite his new uniform, I wish Iggy well. If he learns to hit consistently, his career could be a productive one.
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