Baez signing with Tigers

*Photo from Cubbies Crib*

   It had been reported since the start of the offseason that the Detroit Tigers were in the market for a star shortstop. After a month of searching, they've found the man. The Tigers and SS Javier Baez have agreed to a 6 year, $140 million deal, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The Tigers have confirmed the deal.

   With the CBA expiring late on December 1, a lockout will begin, which is the reason all the big free agents have agreed to deals early on in the free agency period, as there can be no transactions or roster movement during a lockout. The Tigers were always planning to try and get a deal done early anyway, and Baez was their top target after Marcus Semien and Corey Seager both signed in the same place. Baez will get an opt out after year two of his deal.

   Tigers GM Al Avila said of Baez that "We played them a few years ago in Chicago, and he’s running the bases and he’s making plays all over the place. And I’m saying to myself, ‘Can we just get that guy out of the game? Because he’s making the difference on his own.’ I was just beside myself, and I’m like, ‘Can we get a guy like that?'"

   Last season, split between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, Baez hit for a .265 average and an .813 OPS, slugging .494 while hitting 31 home runs and driving in 87 runs, stealing 18 bases while playing in 138 regular season games, 91 for the Cubs, and 47 for the Mets, who failed to make the playoffs even after acquiring Baez.

   Across 8 seasons in the big leagues, Baez has a .264 average with a .783 OPS, hitting a total of 149 home runs and driving in 465 runs, playing in 862 regular season games, with all but 47 being in a Cubs uniform. In 36 career playoff games between 5 years, Baez has a .221 average with 5 home runs and 14 RBI's, drawing 5 walks and stealing 7 bases.

   The interest Detroit had in Baez is not new, despite only pivoting toward signing him recently. The Tigers had scouted him going back to his early seasons with the Cubs, having previously brought up his name in trade discussions, but being unable to get anything done. Baez was chosen in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft by the Cubs, and has two all star game appearances and was a runner up in the 2018 NL MVP voting.

   Tigers manager AJ Hinch said of Baez that "I think Javy, with the way his career has gone, the impact that he’s had, the ups and downs and everything in between, has come out of it a super tough kid that knows how to win. He’s a player that quite honestly posts and shows up every single day to beat you. And to me, that competitive character that he brings is something that we’ve been trying to build for a year since I’ve been here. He’s a perfect fit, and as the manager, I couldn’t be happier."

   Baez was unable to receive a qualifying offer from the Mets, as he was traded to them during the season. The Tigers already had to give up a draft pick in order to sign LHP Eduardo Rodriguez earlier in the offseason, so they won't have to give up another one to sign Baez. The chance to sign Baez really came when the Mets signed Starling Marte, Mark Canha, and Eduardo Escobar all in one day, all but eliminating the playing time for Baez.

   Rodriguez and Baez are the two landmark acquisitions of the Tigers this offseason, along with C Tucker Barnhart, as they look to add a jolt to the team that finished with 77 wins at the end of 2021, the Tigers best win total since the 2016 season.