Rays predicted to sign $1.4 million All-Star to act as mentor for Carson Williams, Ben Williamson originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Tampa Bay Rays signaled that they are going into a rebuild this offseason when they traded Brandon Lowe and made other moves, but they forgot to get some depth behind their young core. Now, they need some guys that can at least give those guys a breather once in a while.
FanSided’s Christopher Kline predicts that the Rays could kill two birds with one stone by signing former All-Star Jose Iglesias, as he could do two things: answer their depth problem, and be a mentor for two of their top young stars in Carson Williams and Ben Williamson.
“Tampa is all-in on the youth movement after trading Brandon Lowe, with 25-year-old Ben Williamson at second base and 22-year-old Carson Williams at shortstop. Neither has started the season strong. Aside from a historically volatile platoon bat in Richie Palacios, Tampa’s middle infield depth is also lacking…Iglesias has a long track record of exceptional bat-to-ball skills. He’s one of his generation’s best pure contact hitters. He also has experience at every infield position, although he’s probably best viewed as a second or first baseman at this stage of his career. Tampa can roll the dice on a late-career resurgence and lean on Iglesias for depth and leadership,” Kline wrote.
Iglesias did struggle a little in 2025, slashing .229/.298/.294/.592 with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 36 RBI in 112 games played. However, he was a star in 2024 with the Mets, where he hit .337/.381/.448/.830 with 16 doubles, four home runs, and 26 RBI in 85 games.
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He also would be incredibly cost-effective, as he’s only projected to receive a one-year, $1.4 million deal. For a team like the Rays, that could be money well spent to mentor their young stars and provide depth behind them.
Hopefully, the Rays get to signing him, so they can jumpstart the growth of their future stars.
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