The Detroit Tigers were one of the best stories of the 2024 MLB season. They were left for dead, with a less than 1% chance of making the playoffs on August 11. A 30-13 run, combined with a Minnesota Twins collapse, catapulted them into the postseason. Tarik Skubal is likely to win the Cy Young Award and plenty of their young players shined in their first postseason action. The Tigers can improve their team by making an offseason trade to dump Javier Baez.
The former Chicago Cubs infielder, Baez was placed on the injured list on August 24. From that day forward, the Tigers went 22-10 in the regular season and 4-3 in the postseason. He was brought to Detroit to help power them out of a rebuild. A few miserable seasons full of strikeouts and poor defense have marred his time in the Motor City. While he has a monstrous contract, they should trade him this offseason.
The Tigers showed down the stretch that they have a great young core to build around. With money freed up from a Baez trade, they could add a different veteran to lead this team and hit in the middle of the lineup. This trade would be to build around Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Skubal. With those stars, they could be a force in the American League, But Baez drags them down as an operation.
Javier Baez is 32 years old and has three years remaining on his contract, including 2025. The deal is for $25 million per season so only certain teams could take it, but there are a few spots he could go.
Javier Baez's potential landing spots after his Tigers stint
Baez is traditionally a shortstop but played some second base with the Mets before he signed with the Tigers. While shortstop is a premium position, he might not get many looks because so many teams have the spot filled. Brewers shortstop Willy Adames will be the prized possession of free agency at the position. A team that is in the market for Adames but does not land him could make this move.
The Dodgers just won the World Series without a true everyday shortstop. They rotated Miguel Rojas, Tommy Edman, and Kike Hernandez in at shortstop the entire postseason. While Adames may be a better fit as a contact hitter, they might not win the sweepstakes. If they don't, they have shown a tendency to part with prospects to make a move. If they want to lock Mookie Betts into right field next season, they will make this trade with the Tigers.
The Mariners had a season to forget in 2024. They should have been in contention for the spot the Tigers ended up claiming, but a mid-season collapse forced a coaching change. While they have some cornerstone players, they do not have great offensive weapons. They could take a bet on Baez by dealing one of their great starting pitchers to Detroit.
Almost all of the Padres' players were shortstops at one point in their prospect career. They rolled out an entire outfield of ex-shortstops in Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis, and Jurickson Profar. But some of those players are free agents, including Ha-seong Kim who actually played the position. AJ Preller loves a trade and could call up the Tigers.
The Javier Baez market should not dry up
Despite his poor performance since joining the Tigers, someone will want Javier Baez. He showed with the Cubs and Mets that he can be an elite shortstop and is not old enough to claim age as the reason for his decline. Injuries have been an issue and while that can continue, it also can be a fluke.
Do not be surprised if the Tigers trade Javier Baez this offseason. After their magical 2024 campaign, they have to keep the chemistry together and that does not include Baez.
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