A month ago, the Orioles traded away infielder Jonathan Villar to the Marlins in exchange for minor-league pitcher Easton Lucas. Whether you liked the move or not (I didn’t), shedding Villar left the Orioles roster with a few underwhelming possibilities to take over at shortstop: Richie Martin, Hanser Alberto and Pat Valaika.
Unsurprisingly, Martin (-1.0 fWAR, 50 wRC+) was overwhelmed in the majors last season as he fulfilled his Rule 5 requirements. Alberto had a fun season while splitting time between second and third base and was tremendous against left-handed pitching, but he didn’t log a single inning at shortstop last season and is a better defensive fit elsewhere. And Valaika has appeared in parts of four major-league seasons with the Rockies, but he hasn’t had much success and is really a depth piece at best.
In order to allow Martin to get full-time work in Triple-A Norfolk and to keep Alberto at second and third base, the O’s needed to bring in a shortstop. They did just that, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, by signing Jose Iglesias to a one-year deal with a club option for 2021. As detailed by Dan Connolly of The Athletic Baltimore, Iglesias’s deal is for $2.5 million in 2020 with a $3.5 million option in 2021 and a $500,000 buyout.
