Colorado Rockies sign shortstop Jose Iglesias to one-year contract

The Colorado Rockies have officially found their replacement at shortstop for franchise icon Trevor Story. Per MLB insider Mike Rodriguez, the club has signed former All-Star Jose Iglesias to function as its primary shortstop moving forward.

Iglesias, 32, is a 10-year veteran at the major league level, spending time in Boston (twice), Detroit, Cincinnati, Baltimore, and with the Los Angeles Angels. Last season, he split his time between Los Angeles and Boston.

Never much of a power threat with the bat, Iglesias’ career-high in home runs is just 11, but he is a stolen base threat who doesn’t strike out much and routinely hits for batting averages north of .270. Fortunately for both Iglesias and the Rockies, Coors Field has been known to bring out the power numbers in hitters so it’s not unreasonable to assume he will top 11 in the upcoming season.

While Iglesias is certainly not Trevor Story with the bat, he is a better defender than Story. He was just about league-average last season at shortstop, but Story was ranked near the bottom of the league amongst qualifiers at the position in Runs Prevented and Outs Above Average.

The signing of Iglesias will most likely move Garrett Hampson to a backup infield/outfield role in 2022. He was penciled in as the club’s starting shortstop per FanGraphs’ Roster Resource projections prior to the acquisition of Iglesias.

While the Rockies do have Hampson and minor leaguers Alan Trejo and Ezequiel Tovar as shortstop options on the 40-man, Iglesias will get the vast majority of the starts there. He is also capable of playing second base and can be put at third base as well in a pinch.

The Colorado Rockies have signed shortstop Jose Iglesias to a one-year, $5 million contract. He will give the club their new everyday shortstop as it begins to plan for life without Trevor Story in its lineup. He will give the Rockies a solid defensive glove paired with a high-contact bat in 2022.