The Tigers have landed their new franchise shortstop. Detroit announced on Wednesday they’ve signed Javier Baez to a six-year contract. According to reports, it’s a $140MM guarantee for the Wasserman client, who also lands some other perks in the deal. Baez can opt out after the 2023 campaign and has limited no-trade protection that allows him to block a move to 10 teams each year.
Baez’s salaries break down as follows: $20MM in 2022, $22MM in 2023, $25MM each in 2024-25 and $24MM each in 2026-27. He also receives assorted incentives based upon finishes in MVP and other awards’ voting. Baez is guaranteed $42MM over the first two seasons of the slightly backloaded deal. That means he’ll have four years and $98MM in remaining guarantees after the 2023 campaign, when he’ll need to decide on his opt-out possibility.
Shortstop has been a glaring need for the Tigers since the onset of free agency, with general manager Al Avila plainly stating his intentions to improve at the position not long after the season’s conclusion. While many speculated that Carlos Correa, who knows Detroit skipper AJ Hinch quite well from the pair’s time in Houston, would be the likeliest candidate to step into that role, Avila & Co. have preached a more measured approach since the offseason commenced. The Tigers already inked lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to a five-year, $77MM contract early in free agency, and adding Baez to the fold would effectively satisfy multiple needs at what figures to be a fair bit less than the cost of Correa on his own.
Detroit shortstops were quite nearly the worst in Major League Baseball from an offensive standpoint in 2021, hitting a combined .201/.275/.321. The resulting 62 wRC+ (i.e. 38 percent worse than league-average production) was the second-lowest mark in the sport, leading only a tanking Pirates club in overall offensive output at the position.
The Tigers have already moved on from their leader in shortstop innings over the past few seasons, bidding adieu to Niko Goodrum after passing him through waivers unclaimed and watching him elect free agency. Baez would represent an across-the-board improvement over Goodrum, providing lights-out, frequently highlight-reel defense in addition to considerable power and baserunning skills for his position.
The 2020 campaign was a season to forget for Baez, but the end result of a roller-coaster 2021 season was a .265/.319/.494 batting line with 31 homers and 18 steals (in 23 tries) for the two-time All-Star and 2018 NL MVP runner-up. Generally speaking, Baez (who’ll turn 29 tomorrow) is a power-hitting but free-swinging shortstop whose penchant for putting the ball over the fence is at least somewhat mitigated by an anemic walk rate that typically lands him near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage. This year’s .319 OBP was actually the second-highest single-season career mark for Baez, who has drawn a free pass in just 4.8% of his 3255 MLB plate appearances.
That said, it’s worth pointing out that there were some positive strides shown by Baez following a trade from the Cubs to the Mets at the July 30 deadline. After whiffing in a whopping 36.3% of his plate appearances in Chicago, Baez cut that figure to a more tolerable (albeit still too lofty) 28.5% in Queens. He also walked at a 7% clip with the Mets — a mark that’s a good bit shy of the 8.8% league average but also well north of 4.7% mark he carried throughout his years with the Cubs. After a rocky run with the Cubs in 2021, Baez finished the season on a heater and posted a composite .299/.371/.515 batting line as a Met.
Inconsistent as Baez may be at the plate, it’s hard to argue with the bottom-line results at the end of the day. Even including 2020’s woeful season, Baez is a .270/.311/.508 hitter (113 wRC+) with 102 home runs over his past 1988 plate appearances, dating back to 2018. He’s one of baseball’s premier defenders — regardless of position.
Since Opening Day 2018, Baez ranks third among all Major League players with 52 Outs Above Average, per Statcast, and his 44 Defensive Runs Saved place him ninth among 4053 defenders who’ve taken the field. While the now-former incumbent Goodrum was a solid defender in hiss own right, Baez is a game-changer with the glove who’ll serve as a pronounced improvement to the Detroit defense.
The Mets were reportedly interested in retaining Baez, who is close friends with New York shortstop Francisco Lindor, but it now seems he’ll instead head to the Motor City and serve as one of the faces of a team looking to emerge from a rebuilding cocoon and announce its return to contention in the American League Central.
Detroit has spent most of the past five years in a prolonged rebuilding effort but has managed to stockpile an enviable farm system that now leaves the team on the precipice of turning the corner. Young starters Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning will be expected to team with Rodriguez in leading the starting staff, while 2020 No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson and 2019 No. 5 overall pick Riley Greene are both viewed as top-10 leaguewide prospects and potential lineup anchors.
That blossoming young core makes it easy for Detroit, a team that has previously trotted out Opening Day payrolls north of $200MM, to spend heavily in free agency this winter. Miguel Cabrera is signed through the 2023 season, but the only player on the books beyond that point is the aforementioned Rodriguez. Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez projects a $104MM payroll without Baez next season, and that’s before the likely non-tender of Matthew Boyd and his $7.3MM projected salary (courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz).
With that in mind, even if this is the last marquee move of the offseason for the Tigers — and, to be clear, there’s no indication that’s the case — the additions of Baez and Rodriguez clearly set the stage for a return to aggressive adding in Detroit. The Tigers will have one more high-end draft pick in 2022, but the goal for the team is clearly to shift into win-now mode, and the additions of both Baez and Rodriguez are notable steps in that direction. Baez has averaged a hefty 4.6 wins above replacement (per Baseball-Reference) per season over the past four years, even including that ugly 2020 campaign, and the Tigers will count on him for more of the same as a linchpin both in the lineup and on defense as they turn the page from a rebuild the fans are all too ready to leave in the rear-view mirror.
Jon Morosi of MLB.com first reported the Tigers and Baez were nearing agreement on a six-year contract. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the $140MM guarantee. Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free-Press reported the two sides had reached an agreement and that Baez’s deal included an opt-out provision. Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic first reported the opt-out was after 2023 and was first with the limited no-trade protection. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported the specific salary breakdown.
Photo courtesy of Imagn/USA Today Sports.
Dang.
Should of took the reported 160-170 million extension from the Cubbies. Javier overvalued himself. Thumbs down.
“Reported”
Shiver me timbers. Ahahahaha!
Ever watch Ms. Garrison on South Park? Scissor me timbers.
I’m hip
Should of
Cubs are in a complete teardown. Baez is better off playing for a rising contender like the Tigers.
$140 million strikeout machine who can’t get on base to save his life. Tigers fans hoping for Correa, Seager, Semien or Story just got really bad news today. this is bad news for Correa and Story, too. This means the Rangers and Tigers are out on both of them. It doesn’t look like the Yankees or Mets are going to pony up so the market just shrank a lot. There aren’t many teams left to bid against the organizations that eventually sign them.
@Steve Nebraska What happened to deleting your account?
So Mets just signed 3 hitters that will all be 33 years old and let a guy walk they acquired at the trade deadline (who will be 29 years old) that they gave up a nice prospect to acquire. Then they sign a aging superstar pitcher with 2500 mlb innings pitched and a “dead arm” to a record AAV contract. Hmmm..
LOL
I hope you’re in my fantasy league next year, because the ‘dead arm’ talk is the most overrated meme of the off-season. He had two bad games at the end of the year, one when he gave up 5 runs at Colorado, and that happens to everyone.
And this came after a 9-game stretch with a 0.78 ERA. And he followed that up with a 2.16 ERA in the playoffs. I think it’s a risky deal, but a dead arm for 2 weak games in a 3 month period, is ridiculous.
That Dumb post is why Fred’s not on the hall of shame
This is a guy that strikes out a ton and the tigers already strike out a ton so he doesn’t improve them any offensively. Here’s a guy that would be perfect for a performance base contract. This will never happen but if his contract was tied to his k% or k/bb ratio I think you get a much better player.
Baez is a huge improvement over our previous SS’s. Huge! Only because they were so bad. This doesn’t put us into the top echelon of the league, but improved us quite a bit by comparison to who we had.
“he doesn’t improve them any offensively.”
==================================
Of course he improves them. It’s easy enough to dislike the K/W, and I champion that all the time.
But Baez has an .819 OPS over the last four years. The Detroit SS position had a .595 OPS last year. Outside of pitching, it is almost impossible to have a bigger upgrade.
My grandfather always said a strikeout is better than hitting into a double play. That’s all I got.
wow, not Correa after all. worried PHI might end up overpaying for him now.
They will sign Correa, Schwarber, ignore the bullpen, and trade off Stott after he fails to develop when they decide to use him as a centerfielder. That is the way of things for the Phillies.
wouldn’t need Stott if you’re going all in on Correa (not that I think the Phils should pursue Correa)….
I think Stott could get shipped out in a deal for Chapman or Olsen anyway.
Most of us were wrong on Correa/Baez. Philly may end up with Correa who is worth more to me than Seager but unless the Dodgers or Yankees bid up the price, DD may end up with another JDM situation with no other real bidders.
In a vacuum the Phillies wouldn’t need Stott. In terms of team building though, any true contender or World Series winning team has young, cheap, and good home grown guys on their roster and once again trying fo spend their way out of terrible player development would be bad for the Phillies.
There is a new Sheriff in town by the name of Dave Dombrowski.
His track record shows that he does not operate that way
Couldn’t of happened to a better guy. Congratulations Javy! Hopefully you get to see the Tigers turn it around. The fans will absolutely love you in Detroit.
@Black Ace57 I will say that for all the Phillies woes, they really haven’t been trading away any great young talent. That’s mainly because they don’t have any. But really Sixto Sanchez was the only young piece traded away, and I think that was partly because they were worried about his injury history. So trading Stott doesn’t seem like something they would do. I really don’t see the Phillies in on Correa. Perhaps Story.
They traded away Howard too for pennies on the dollar after failing to develop him.
They got a prospect back for Howard. Arguably a better prospect. They also got Gibson for two years, a quality starter. I think the Phillies won that trade, but we’ll see what Howard becomes.
I really hope Philly gets Correa. Save the Yankees from that mistake should they suddenly realize they should be doing something…anything, really.
I still want JTR. I know it’s a solid pipe dream, and would eradicate the farm, but it would be worth it.
who is jtr
JT Realmuto
i dont wanna be that guy, but bruh moment on tryna get JT.
Oh yeah, I know, no doubt bruh moment. Couldn’t help it.
Pass. He’s overrated and overpaid. I wouldn’t give up any single solid prospect for him. If the Yankees get Freeman or Olson and get Story, the problems at catcher won’t be that noticeable. Remember, the reason the Yanks lose in the playoffs is that they can’t score runs. Not the catching, not the 3rd base coach, but the ineptitude in scoring runs.
Lol he is far from overrated. And he’s being paid what he’s worth.
Agree. JTR is probably one of the few perfectly rated players in the game.
Thank you for your opinion on how you perceive players to be rated by others
The Yankees won’t allow the Mets to steal the off season without making a play for Corea. It’s not in their nature
That was the George Steinbrenner big checkbook Era.
This is the Hal Steinbrenner bean counter Era.
Yankees still always make a splash, no matter the era.
Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t care
I still don’t see the Tigers better than the White Sox, and I think the Guardians have a better long term outlook with their farm system and pitching staff.
Tigers have two absolutely studs about to be called up with Torkleson and Riley Greene. I’d take that over Nolan Jones and company any day
Yep, they’re good, real good. But good pitching beats good hitting, most every time.
Tigers have the better pitching too in the near future.
CLE doesn’t have a bunch of top flight prospects. They have a ton of good ones. But nothing elite. Jose Ramirez’s control is dwindling also. There’s a lot of holes on that team offensively and they haven’t developed another stud in the rotation behind Bieber.
CLE is a better organization than most but you’d have to like the core prospect of the Tigers + the willingness to put dollars on the ML team more at this point.
IMO it’s more likely the Guardians wind up dealing Jram for spects and take another little step back.
Then they either sign/trade Bieber as well. Those 2 would bring back a massive haul and could certainly inject elite prospects into the system. I don’t see a 2 year window for them and that’s all they have on Ramirez.
Still a .500 club as it stands today, IMO of course.
Still work for the Tigers to do as well. Obviously they have a ton of holes in their lineup. They’ve shown a willingness to spend some money to patch them though. Need another infielder and outfielder. A stopgap 1B would be nice too. Schoop makes some sense to bring back. He could cover 1B til Tork is up and gives you an option for 2B thereafter.
@johhny. They extended Schoop thru 2022. Schoop also has a 7.5 million player option for 2023.
Technically the Tigers signed him for 2022-2023 at $7.5 mill. per season with an opt-out after 2022. I’m not really sure about the difference between a player option and an opt-out except maybe different default options.
Missed that.
Good move.
Not sure there is much of a difference in execution. The difference would probably be intent or expectations. The player option assumes the player may be underperforming and decide to pick up the option while the opt out assumes they are over performing.
Except when a trashcan and video camera is involved.
They don’t have to be better than the White Sox next season. They can settle for Wild Card til the legacy costs of winning catch up with the Sox. As for Cleveland having a better farm system, do you not following Tigers farm system at all or are you just blindly lobbying darts?
I do follow both systems. I think for the next 3 or so years that the White Sox with more proven talent at the big leagues already will be the better team. As for Cleveland, it’s not guys like Nolan Jones who I would say are better than Torkleson, Greene, etc. I think the low level guys in A ball for Cleveland will end up getting a lot of respect in the next year or two and Cleveland will have a top 5 farm system. Then add in the haul they will get from a Ramirez trade.
I think the White Sox dominate the division the next 1-3 years and Cleveland does in 3-5 years leaving the Tigers squeezed.
k, but you’d be wrong
Nobody is dominating the AL Central for the next 4-5+ years. Tigers were competitive after May this year and have added E Rod, Baez, Tork, & Greene. KC has prospects coming up and it is unlikely the Twins will be as bad as they were last year. This will be a very competitive, hard fought, division.
Especially now that we’ll have half the league in the playoffs. Ugh
Sixteen teams is a nice “round” number for playoffs. Or they could make it twenty-six teams and give division winners a first-round bye. November baseball on the east coast and in the midwest could be really interesting!
Funny, you spelled Indians wrong.
Lol
Most amused Yankee fan
Love it
Funny . . . You spelled “Billy Troll” wrong. 😉
swing and a miss
L
Tigers gave the White Sox all they could handle late in the Season
even without all the changes and before the promotion of
some of their better players from the minors so there is that,
No doubt the Tigers arrow is pointing up. That said, they still finished 16 games behind a White Sox team that possesses a solid young core of players including two in Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez who each missed a significant portion of the season. As promising as the Tigers rotation looks it still doesn’t match up with the ChiSox. As for bullpens, Chicago’s is far superior and perhaps the best in all of MLB depending on what transpires with Craig Kimbrel this offseason and into 2022.
16 games that could easily be made up by the Tigers…
Tigers started 2021 .9-26 and then were one of the top teams in the league the rest of the way winning series against multiple playoffs contenders in both leagues.
Every team has injuries as did the Tigers with two of their best pitchers going down (Spencer Turnbull and Matthew Boyd with surgeries).
Tigers young pitching staff has barely scratched the surface of their long term abilities. And, some of their best arms and bats are still in the minors.
Tigers did this in 2021 without a SS, a proven catcher and 3 rookie starting pitchers. With what they’ve added this off season, plus the addition of Greene & Tork, 2022 is looking to be a promising season (provided they get to play it)
Ok
Wrong. Better than Cleveland
Tigers farm system was #1 recently. We’re better than Cleveland. They just know how to develop pitching. I agree with White Sox still being better though. They’re still 6-7 wins better than the Tigers, imho.
Trevor Bauer taught Cleveland their sticky pitching… but after half the season i don’t expect their ‘advantage’ to be there anymore.
Yanks and Correa seems like destiny.
Generally, when the Yankees appear quiet on the free agent front, they are not bluffing. They/Cashman make stealthy trades that come out of the blue, but with big free agents, they generally let the world know they’re interested. They did it with CC, Tanaka and Cole. There was no mystery they were tracking their man. I’m not saying they won’t sign Correa, but they’ve totally changed their playbook here if they do.
I think the Yankees and many FAs are waiting out the CBA talks.
I think so. They want to see the financial framework of the new CBA. Not just the Yankees, but the Dodgers and Red Sox too. That said, if their goal was to sign one of the big free agents AFTER the new CBA is signed, there may be none left. Down to Correa and Story.
Rob, I don’t know about you, but I’m perfectly good with Story. Defensive guy with decent bat. Shouldn’t cost $200M and should be less than 7 years I’d imagine.
Or simply let this year’s class sign and have cleaner pickings in 23. it’s doubtful the Rangers and Tigers will double down next year.
That’s a good point. When the Yankees are going to make an offer it’s like you see the trucks carrying all the cash they are about to offer pulling in ahead of time. Looks like another offseason of little spending.
Bang the trash can… correa is coming to town. If you cant beat them… cheat.
Over a dozen teams were caught cheating, sign stealing including the Yankees and the Red Sox, Yankees and Red Sox have reportedly had video rooms decoding stolen signs for at least 10 years.
And, Yankees won multiple tainted titles cheating with roided up, drugged up players…
But wait, let’s scapegoat the Astros for league wide problems…
DOUBLE STANDARD MUCH?!
I don’t see it. I saw another report from around noon (Sports Illustrated &…NY Daily News(?)) writing that Yankees are pursuing Simmons and have been in contact with him regarding his asking price.
Additionally, the were unsure of price/years before by many accounts, & they’re literally putting the ball in Correa’s court once all other SS’s sign. They are waiting on the CBA because Hal voted to lower the CBT and for a hard cap.
And, because of everything RobM wrote.
Sadly, yes, Simmons would fit the stopgap SS. They better hope Peraza and Volpe are the real deal.
I don’t mean to insult your Intelligence because you’re obviously informed; but, I read several articles wherein the authors detailed different scouts assessments of Volpe. And although many say he can handle SS because of his smooth hands, many say he cannot and will be a 2B. I see striking similarities between Volpe and Semien. I hope he can defend SS at the ML level.
Peraza is the exact opposite. Many scouts believe he is a true SS defensively but may not have a ML bat – so Simmons. Neither makes me overly comfortable.
But aren’t we trying to win now? In Judge’s prime; Stanton’s late prime; Cole’s prime?
I haven’t heard anyone say Volpe isn’t a SS.
Whether it’s Simmons, Correa, Story, or who ever, what should be done with Torres?
Yes, research the prospect reports and you will read it. Scouts doubt whether he is able to stay at SS in the majors. You must move away from Yankees internal articles because they won’t provide the objectivity. Of course they’re going to pump up their own prospects.
Goastros: My opinion? They will keep him and use DJL as utility or 1B. But what they should be doing is slowly revamping the roster through trades as well. We need a bit more diversity. I’m a Torres fan. He gets beat up for his performance at SS and rightfully so because it was horrible.
But he’s 24 and obviously has a high ceiling that is attainable under the right conditions for him. I think that’s worth keeping. I thought the DJ contract was a mistake from the beginning, but I love the player. Voit should’ve been sold at his peak, but we failed.
With the Cubs news, it wouldn’t surprise me (although it’s not my first guess) if Torres goes back to the Cubs for Contreras? Again, I’m simply saying it wouldn’t surprise me, not that the Torres/Contreras trade is fair, happening, or my idea of a good move.
the Yankees voted for a hard cap? i highly doubt that.
Yes, specifically led by Hal. It was published online and a simple search will resolve your doubt.
That would give the Yankees the best shortstop in NY.
Love how these Yankees loons think they should sign everyone
6 years..
6 years for 29 yr old Baez is certainly better than 7 yrs for 31 yr old Semien.
No it’s not because Semien is the better player. Baez is not a cornerstone type of player, but Semien is. The age thing doesn’t matter as much as people are harping on it.
Semien has never been considered a “cornerstone player”
Simien was fortunate to have a “career year” in his walk year
batting and protected in a loaded Blue Jays lineup.
It is very doubtful Semien every hits 45 bombs again in 1 year in his career.
Great player, but Semien is due for some regression on offense.
that ball does like to fly in texas.
On the bright side at least you all won’t lose 350m
I wonder if Correa sitting on his hands has affected his market. At the outset of Free Agency I was wondering if teams were secretly wary of the headache he would cause in their fanbase and possibly in their clubhouse.
Correa asking for 40+ mill a year is affecting his market. The dude is only worth 20 mill a year if that. Extremely overrated
I think its more the ten years. If he would take five, he’s signed.
Correa has been the best MLB shortstop for years and clutch in the playoffs.
maybe in the 90 or so games he plays in per year…..on average. Pass.
Why would he cause a headache in the clubhouse? The fans will forget all about the trash can stuff when he’s on their team (until the Astros come to town), unless he bombs.
baez’s agent hit avila with the “you up?” text
excellent comment 🙂
I think Baez is a good get depending on price point. Although 6 years is a bit long (I’d prefer 5), he can play 2B & 3B too. He’s a glove-first guy with an excellent bat for a defensive specialist. He does strike out a ton, but he can wreck the ball when he hits it.
Based on pure athleticism, talent, and baseball smarts, Baez is the best of all the free agent SS’s. Even better than Correa and Seager. The problem is he’s too aggressive at the plate and pitchers will take advantage of that. If he could control that one aspect of the game, he’d be off-the-charts good. History says players like him never quite figure that part out, probably because they can’t. Plate discipline is not something that can just be taught.
Yeah, he’s like a SS Joey Gallo but doesn’t walk.
You’re out of your mind. I would rather them save their money and develop a prospect. Javi is a bum.
Whew, it’s a good thing “Javi” didn’t wanna sign with your team.
At least Baez is Durable. Can’t say the same for Correa and Seager
RobM: This guy said it best on 161RiverAve
youtube.com/watch?v=Gz1knnoHlIs
“What the hell are you guys doing, Yankees?”
Tigers did this in 2021 without a SS, a proven catcher and 3 rookie starting pitchers. With what they’ve added this off season, plus the addition of Greene & Tork, 2022 is looking to be a promising season (provided they get to play it)
I think a year or two watching and learning from Robbie Grossman, might help his aggressivness .,
If the deal gets done. I’m predicting at least 1 inside the park home run him next season. I have zero regrets but I bought my baez jersey about 4 years too late. He’s also gotta go back to #9 since 23 it’s retired. Unless Willie Horton let’s him have it.
Baez was projected five years $100 million a couple weeks ago. Now I am thinking 5-6 years at 24-25 million per year, market has gone up. Fun player to watch. Gesturing against fans is not him generally he is a cool guy. Will remember him pulling Will Craig toward home plate for a long time. Fans will like him if he can just slightly cut strikeouts.
All your points are excellent, and I usually find your posts a good read. One thing that also a huge benefit of Baez as opposed to nearly all the other FA SS is his durability. Semien was the obvious exception.
Thank you!
Baez has to be one of the top five smartest players in MLB, if not the smartest. He has one of the strongest arm there is, easily can handle third base when he passes his prime at short. I always thought what he did in New York had something to do with his pal Paco Lindor. Both are great guys, but when together they are like misbehavin’ kids. People tend to judge Javy as arrogant, but for those who doesn’t know, his attitude has something to do with the “reaggaeton” culture here in Puerto Rico. He has that “flow”, but doesn’t have anything to do with who he really is. I have a godson who is like him, having that “flow”, but at the end is really a good kid. Is something like Yadier Molina, whom I knew personally somedays ago at a private party. He looks as a “bad boy” but, man, he is an awesome very cool guy, as you may never guess.
Your description reminds me of George Bell from the Blue Jays a few decades ago who I met a few times when he came to Detroit he was one of the coolest MLB players I had met but had a bad boy rep in the media and public eye.
I have no problem with Baez though I wanted Correa more. It will be interesting to see if Hinch can instill more plate discipline in him because his free swinging approach goes against everything Hinch preached last year.
His bat won’t hold up at any position if he defense fails.
Completely agree, this is certainly a strong signal of the market going up. Really happy for Javy and glad he got paid. Detroit fans are going to love him. Unlikely he’ll ever cut down on strikeouts at this point but he is well worth the price of admission.
“Gesturing against fans is not him”, except it was him.
I meant it is not typical for him, obviously that was a really bad look, but generally this is a guy who loves to play the game and adores the fans. Strikeout machine but he plays the game the right way.
As a Tribe fan, I can’t think of a better Trojan Horse to send to Detroit to deep six the Tigers. I find it hard to believe anyone thinks Javier Baez is an answer to their shortstop ills. Beautiful.
I imagine you’re more worried about seeing his massive 2016 World Series tattoo 19 times a year.
LMFAO
Oooohh…is that supposed to hurt? Oh, we’re so scared of a guy who “hit” .167/.167/.267;/.433 during that series and is a lifetime .221/.250/.385/.635 in nine postseason series. Real “pressure” performer this guy is against good pitching. And that’s what he’s going to see in abundance, trust me. We’re more than pleased to see this guy flex his tattoo in the AL Central…and if he was so good, pray tell why didn’t the Cubs keep their World Series “hero”?
They didn’t keep him because they sold off everything that wasn’t nailed to the ground at the trade deadline last year
Triggered?
Also, Javy plays at his best when he plays in a team with a winning attitude, which the Cubs didn’t have since the middle of last season. Why are so may White Sox and “Guardindians” in this trend? Are they worried? Tigers will not get as far as you may think this 2022 season, but the reality is that White Sox’ windows is closer to end sooner than they expected. To be clear, I’m not a Tigers’ fan.
Jeez, what the heck do you have against the Tigers?? Flex his tattoo?
Relax man, this is the entertainment industry. He’s a massive upgrade for us Tiger fans. It’s okay for others to smile.
Ah, the cherry picking begins. You didn’t mention his 2 game winning hits against the Giants before the ’16 WS. But haters are gonna hate.
Real Tiger fans are upset. This is a waste of money, trying to generate interest in a mediocre team that has stopped short in it’s rebuild.
A lot of people don’t buy into this media hoopla you guys are trying to generate. Most Tiger fans I know are not planning on following the Tigers next year…they are sick of Al’s bull.
If.you guys and tiger management weren’t so busy patting each other’s b…., maybe you would realize this…..
YOU are upset, YOU don’t buy into the media hoopla, and YOU aren’t going to follow the Tigers next year. Real fans aren’t so hard on their teams.
As for me, I am bored with your negativity and will put you on “mute.” Maybe you should do the same for me and we won’t have to cross paths again?
Real Tiger fans are upset & we’re patting butts? Lol, classic Sabre Tooth!
I realize this is a game and not a coup, pal. Do you?
Unfortunately quite a few tigers fans are idiotic like this guy.I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you around so you’ve probably witnessed it too.
I’ll take this over $350+ million for Correa any day. And we’re probably not done. Had we signed Correa, we’d be done.
Al Floro
Real Tiger fans are upset & we’re patting butts? Lol, classic Sabre Tooth!
=================================
Sabretooth’s reality has just left the building. The Tigers might be about a Taylor signing away from competing for the AL’s best record.
I am long term Tiger fan and I’m THRILLED by this signing so not sure what you’re smoking but its likely stale. Tigers made a smart, prudent signing with Baez that gives them flexibility not only for the short term but the long term as well. If they had signed Correa he would have cost $34M per year for 10 years (vs. $23M for 6 years) and a 10 yr $340M will not age well as we’ve seen with what happened w/ Miggy. Plus when you add in the fact that Mize, Skubel, Manning, Greene and Torkelson will all need to get paid themselves within the next 10 years you can’t hamstring yourself with one bad contract like they would have done w/ Correa in order to stay competitive. So stop your whining and wake up to the reality of what the Tigers are trying to accomplish.
Oh no…… don’t mute me! Not that! I respect your Kool Aid guzzling abilities so much……the same group of guys who told.memDumbrowksi was right in offering Max $14M, because he had shoulder fatigue? Same guys who said, No the Kershaw guy is an untested prospect……
FACT = AL AVILA never completed a rebuild, just tanked for years.
Signed no one to trade, obtained no one else’s prospects…..DID FLIPPING NOTHING OTHER THAN STINK. And you people bought it…. that’s why I am mad.
I think Baez is a great player but trying to obtain Abrams, Luciano or G Jones is cheaper, more in line with Tiger timeline and they are likey to be future HoF players.
But Al lack the accumn
Al.had done nothing but tank.
Bing Bong
Tribe fan? They aren’t even the Tribe anymore dude.
@OneLoneGone They were never the tribe, although they will always be a tribe.
Is that a diatribe?
@OneLoneGone
Not another guy who wasn’t taught how words work.. “Dude”, look up the definition of a tribe…it’s a collective term encompassing any communal group. Even a bunch of guardians can be a “tribe,” Sorry if this offends you.
The “Tribe”: all 12,000 of them.
Jealous because Francisco Lindor went to the Mets?!
Lindor refused to resign in Cleveland. Do you blame him? Cleveland is a really good AAA team. Major league teams get some good players from there.
That’s a nutty way to frame it. Cleveland refused to give Lindor the ridiculous $$ the Mets were idiotically willing to pay. It was insane to sign him to that contract without seeing him play one day in New York. Enjoy him,, Mets fans!
@SportsFan0000
You’re kidding right? Do you think Mets fans are happy they signed him? Heck, his contract hasn’t even kicked in yet and they already regret the deal! It’s hilarious!
I wonder what you wudda said had we signed Correa to a ridiculous contract. I’m so glad we got Baez at half the money (probably).
I didn’t say anything about the signing.
953 strikeouts vs 156 walks and a .307 career OBP. He has a capable glove but even still he tied for the most errors in the league last year with 24. This contract is not going to age well.
Can’t go by errors though and here’s why:
Players that don’t have range typically have fewer errors because they simply cannot reach the more difficult plays. It doesn’t make one a better SS.
I think there’s value in using the error stat, but only in its context. Baez has great range and thus gets to far more balls than Seager, for example, so he will likey have more errors.
Baez is flashy and a good defender (+6 DRS), but not as consistently solid as Carlos Correa (+20), Andrelton Simmons (+15), or even Marcus Semien (+14). I just don’t think this is what the doctor ordered for a young, improving Tigers team that could use a stable veteran leadership presence in the lineup, both in the field and at the plate.
All perfectly acceptable and legitimate points. He does have great potential though, because he hit 40 DRS in 2019, according to FB, and that wasn’t that long ago. He’s got that potential still, for probably another two-to-three years.
But I understand the overall point and it makes sense.
At 29 years old that potential train has already left the station. He is what you see now! This will be another typical mistake by one of MLB’s worst GM’s.
The deal is driven by economics. Tigers will not be spending 300M+ on any one player. Those days are gone. It is basically a small market club that
was over spending its revenues and taking losses on the team.
Chris Illich is not his dad Mike Illitch.
He won’t bleed red ink for years on some of these crazy deals.
I’m curious about what you see now? In the past four years, Baez’ fWAR/650 PAs is 6.0. Are you seeing something different?
And, while I am not a Tiger fan, they look like a 90+ win team for the next 6 years. Obviously, some of that is the result of drafting high, but they do seem to have drafted a ton of talent.
Avory, in the last three full seasons, he had bWAR’s of 4.6 in 2021 in 138 games and about 6.5 in 2019 and again in 2018. I don’t like the seven years because he has a skillset that could age poorly. A fast-twitch, middle infielder with lots of swing and miss and poor plate discipline. In his youth, he can and has overcome the latter two with his pure athleticism, but that can start fading in his 30s. He should deliver for the first few years of the deal but the last two or three might be more of a problem. It’s “only” $140MM commitment, or $20M a year, so financially they can handle it. It’s not like $340MM.
Javy posted 31 DRS in 2019 as a SS. OAA graded him in the 100th percentile in both 2019 and 2020 at SS.
2021 his DRS and OAA numbers weren’t as high (82nd percentile—Not too bad) but he also got dinged at the end by playing 2B for the Mets. I’d say he’s a pretty great defensive SS.
Streaky with the bat and prone to slumps. If the bat speed ever slows down—it could get ugly quick. But I won’t really hear that he doesn’t get it done w the glove. The numbers say otherwise. The eye test tells me he’s pretty damn good too.
I’d say
That’s absurd; Tigers are NOT a “small market club”. 10-Million people is not small.
The current metro area population of Detroit in 2021 is 3,530,000, a 0.51% decline from 2020. The metro area population of Detroit in 2020 was 3,548,000, a 0.64% decline from 2019. What are You smoking 10 Million.
you need to add in Windsor because there are many Tiger fans on the other side of the river.
Very true.
Why so late though?
the whole system is gonna go dark in about 24 hours. Gotta get it in while there’s at least some semblance of normality.
It is like the MLB trade deadline. No deals will be made until Spring Training. And Spring Training may start late…
Holly,. let’s hope it’s not idiotic money. Sure, Baez is a fine player and can play multiple positions (infield) but come on…no way to crazy asking prices….. Average salary at $150M/25 man = $6M.
That’s right, $6M men.
Superstar salaries are why average players get low.balled.
Say, “No”, Al to higher prices! Remember where Kresge came from!
Just say “no” to high prices….
Ten teams spent $171 million or more in 2021.
If you have five position players and two starters at $20 million per year, that is $140 million and 16 more guys from your farm system at 2 million per year, that is 32 million, for a total of $172 million. Obvious it is tough if not impossible to find all of those players at $2 million as many decent journeymen at getting 6-7 million per year.
Plus you want another ten million in room to pick up one or two quality players at the trade deadline to fill a need or needs created by injury.
For 2022, maybe this means you need to spend more than $200 million to be competitive and the salary gap between top players and bottom players will be greater not less.
There is no excuse for the four teams that spent less than $60 million in 2021. The owners of those teams get enough to spend more.
This exactly ^^
Just happy he’s not coming back to the Northside.
I thought he was beloved there?
He is. It’s time to move on from those guys. I was hoping Baez would re-sign with the Mets or at least stay in the NL. He deserves a proper send off at wrigley like Kris Bryant got.
Some think when a person puts on a different jersey… he’s now a bandit!
No,.Al!
Mets must be ready to give Correa 10 years $500 million.
Mistake by the Tigers, then again they are generally not that smart at signing free agents under Avila. You either pay Correa what he wants or you draft that SS Mayer at number 3 last summer. This will be another F up by Avila.
not a Baez fan, but this does give them a bit more flexibility to address other needs. If Baez can be had for like 100-120, I think it’s a decent deal for the Tigers. Correa isn’t going got provide 2.5x the value that Baez does, yet Correa will get 2.5x the salary.
To say the Tigers should have drafted Mayer to fill their void at SS is utter nonsense, because Mayer will likely not play any MLB games before deep into the 2024 season. Mayer is as old (or young) as Izaac Pacheco, the SS/3B the Tigers drafted in the 2nd round.
Gruß,
BSHH
What is up with Mayer that several teams passed on him?
Meyer??? Cmon man,you can’t be serious.Maybe if you said CC or just let Kriedler start,but Meyer is years away.
Fine with this as a Met fan wouldn’t go beyond four years
Even 5 years wouldn’t be terrible. I wouldn’t want the 6 years proposed in the article though.
And the cost would need to be <$150M. Anything more would be prohibitive for me.
The total commitment appears to be $140M. I don’t like the reported years(7), but the $20M AAV is workable.
Yeah, that’s not bad. I really don’t like the 7 years because we know at least the last 2-3 are going to be painful watching him trot out. Nonetheless, the $20M AAV isn’t bad at all for what they’re getting on the front end, imho.
The only SS I didn’t want us to sign
Why? Honestly, I’m not a Baez fan; however, I do try to view his body of work objectively. Just curious why you dislike him so much?
Its a lot of money for Brandon Inge 2.0. Low batting ave, low OBA, great glove, decent pop. You just don’t pay top dollar for that. Admittedly, compared to the others, it won’t be top dollar, but wow! Hopefully he’ll listen to Miggy, and Grossman, and start swinging at strikes.
At least he’s not Coot Veal.
Brandon Inge?! Watch baseball before commenting on it.
The Tigers are back baby!
I
And he runs the bases so well…..
he’s good at speedrunning swings on pitches.
Brutally disappointing. No one is buying a ticket to see Baez. Mr I would have hooked the big fish. Sell the team, Chris.
You are wrong! He is if nothing else, one of the most exciting players in the game. Fans (kids especially), in Detroit will come to watch him. He’s one of those guys. He is good, but is more exciting than good if that makes sense.
Yes, he is good. Yes, more exciting than exceptional. He is jjust a slight overpay, but better Baez for 140 mil than Correa for 350 mil. Gives them room to still sign FAs next year.
Baez and that giant outfield? .240 avg and 200 k a season easily
And 25 hrs and 18 SBs. Baez is a human highlight reel too. Bottoms in the seats.
Got one of my contest picks right. Haha…
It’s a good fit though. No draft compensation attached, great defender behind those young pitchers, can easily move off SS at the back end of the deal if necessary, good energy for a young club, and a little bit of star power to sell some merch. Only real question is how many years will the bat hold up? Four all star level years out of the deal will make this signing worth it.
Baez is not an ideal fit in a line up already riddled with low OBP players who K with great frequency. Baez can’t draw walks and his swing as full of holes as Swiss cheese. And he’s more of a 2b than SS… Tigers should be going for Story, not Baez, although signing both wouldn’t be a bad idea.
He’s plays 2nd just as well as he does SS. Same with 3rd.
I’m not being facetious because I’m not as familiar with how the Tigers operate, although one can surmise from the thread, but signing Baez doesn’t prohibit signing a SS. As noted above, Baez is a multi-position player. They could pull a TX Rangers and get Baez plus Story or Simmons, or Rojas (I know he’s not FA, so it would be a trade), etc.
I can see the Tigers still getting Correa. Story would be good too.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Javier Baez right up until he signed the deal to join the Tigers. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Tigers’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
Lol
Whoever misses out on Correa and Story, could call the Cardinals about Paul DeJong’s availability. I think he has 2 years left on his current contract, give a take a year. He shouldn’t cost too terribly much to acquire. DeJong has the power to hit 20-25 home runs, drive in about 70-80 runs,can play decent defense,but his arm is questionable,especially when throwing from the hole.Just a suggestion is all.
And why again would teams call up the Cardinals about a sub average fielding, questionable arm SS who hasn’t hit 20-25 HR’s nor drive in 70-80 runs as yet in his career?
Rocky – are you thinking of the right guy? DeJong is a solid fielding SS and has hit more than 25 HR in a season.
I was just thinking this and was surprised to see how similar Baez and DeJong are statistically. Two years and 15.3mil for DeJong (w/affordable club options for 2024 & 2025) looks a lot better than six years @140mil
Totally torn between liking and disliking this deal. Baez OBP is awful and will be in a lineup that already has on base issues. Decent glove at SS on a team where pitching staff is full of fly ball pitchers. Will put a decent amount of butts in seats for Illitch, but would it have been better to just pay up to get Correa? If he’s planning on signing perhaps another FA SP or good OF until Greene is ready full time, then I get it totally. If this is the end of your spending, then ughhhh. A good corner bat with power to plug into the lineup would be good and they are out there. But we’ll see how it works with Avila, I have my doubts as he’s had some issues when having money to spend.
#GoTigers
Correa could be going to the Dodgers or the Giants.
Correa or Trea Turner could be playing 3rd base
Carlos Correa is presently 27 and the best overall shortstop in MLB that also includes elite defense. Whichever team he signs with it will be as a SS.
Now, sign Chris Taylor and another starter.
YES!!!
The Guardians got a rock.
We’ll see what this deal entails once it is finalized. Have to believe they will finish this off today, but Stephen Cohen knows about counting your chickens before they are hatched. Baez makes sense for the Tigers. He is a 6+WAR player when at his best and still 2+WAR when he is not. Tigers and Correa have been linked for some time but have to think his demands have scared the Tigers, and a lot of other teams off. Tigers are not going cheap, Baez will cost $100M+ if he is getting 6 years. But Baez represents better value than Correa and gives them the financial flexibility to add talent later to help them win and possibly extend some of their best talent.
Also will be interesting to see if this deal includes an opt out. A lot of the deals being signed (Cory Segar with Texas an exception) have opt outs, including the TIgers deal with Rodriguez. IMO, this has to be, in part, due to the CBA negotiations. The uncertainty is leading players to want that hedge in case they actually get most of what they want in the new CBA. Signing now allows them to grab money now while they can. That said, not all of the top FA’s will sign before the lockout, unless there isn’t a lock out or it is pushed back some. There will be a lock out, but it is possible the lockout does not start right away. As teams are completing these deals they could pressure the commissioner to give them an extra day or two to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. We shall see.
I didn’t like the Grossman contract last year and that worked out. I’m trying to stay optimistic. I was hoping for Story, myself. Hoping there is a opt out at three years and he outperforms the contract. Its a game of musical chairs out there. If Story signs in Houston, is there a chair (budget) anywhere for Correa?
With all the opt. outs, if the new CBA agreement favors the players then we will be playing the same musical chairs game again in 2-3 years. Regarding Correa, I can see the Houston ‘take it or leave it’ attitude in the remainder of big $$$ players (NY/LA etc.). If its close to Spring Training, he has to take a pillow contract/short 2-3yr deal. Maybe Detroit?? Baez was not my 1st choice, but Baez plus the draft pick saved softens the blow.
So the tigers traded Greiner for Baez.
LOL
I really like what Detroit is doing this off-season. I’m not a fan of the 5+ year contracts, but Baez is a fine get. It is nice to see the upgrades, and the long term success still in check. They’re not going to win the central in one night-during the off-season, but they are closer. Welcome aboard Javier!
So many whiners here! Would you rather have them outbid the Rangers for Seager or Semien? I can only imagine what you’d say about $350 mill. for 10 years of Correa! Or just pass on all of them and get Niko back or let Willi boot it at short until Kreidler is called up? Face it, most of you would complain no matter what the Tigers did or didn’t do!
From what I gather, it’s not so much the Tiger fans. And, that’s saying something.
Galvas would have been fine.
He’s is such an frustratingly exciting player. What do I mean by that? Well, the exciting part is obvious right? Hits a bunch of bombs, solid glove, can play anywhere, and has the personality to go with it. The frustration is his k’s and lack luster of getting on base. You feel a guy with his talent, pop, etc should be much better in at least the obp category. He’s never been on my team, but I’ve watched him all too much take the momentum out of a solid inning because of his do or die approach. Mind you, yes, when he do his, it’s exciting. But lord his non-competitive at bats at times are frustrating
All true.
At this point for the Mets, Baez is a luxury and not a necessity. I wish him luck in Detroit.
After signing E-Rod, I wasn’t expecting the Tigers to give up another draft pick to sign someone like Correa. This is the next best move they could make. They don’t (it seems right now) appear to be stuck giving out a 10 year deal that Correa would surely get. And Baez still gives them a middle of the order threat (if he can just cut back his strikeouts). I’m a little concerned about his defense slipping, but he’s already played a number of games at second and third and could slide over there down the road.
No draft pick I believe as he was traded mid season.
Correa wasn’t traded.
He was referring to Baez.
If you’re a tigers fan this gotta suck lol
I am not a Tigers fan, but how can signing one of the best FA’s suck. Man, White Sox and Indian fans have their bitter beer faces on early this AM.
When they’re not gloating, do White Sox fans ever have another face on?
Baez is an upgrade, but he’s not as big an upgrade as Correa would have been. If they somehow land both Correa and Baez, that’s an over-the-top push that makes the ALC a two-team race. I expect, though, that the Yankees will pivot to Correa and land him.
HEY RONDON, YES, THE FACE OF AL CENTRAL CHAMPS IN 2021 !!
Baez is a Free agent. Arguably the fifth best FA at SS. Hardly one of the Best FAs. He will be an improvement in Detroit. Still hoping for an early opt out.
Very, VERY difficult to have a bitter beer face when we’re laughing our asses off. Wake me when the Tigers even play .450 ball against the Tribe.
So the Mets gave up good prospects and not even a draft pick?
Please fire Sandy!
They will recover from it
@Neil The draft pick thing isn’t on Sandy. The QO cannot be attached to players acquired in mid season trades.
I thought just one, Crow-Armstrong.
Man, this is NOT what I was hoping for. Baez is a great defender, sure, maybe almost as good as Correa, but let’s be honest, he’s a back of the order hitter that strikes out too much, doesn’t get on base at a high clip, and gives away at bats.
After what Semien signed for, the length, maybe Correa was asking for a 12 or 13 year deal, though? IDK. Perhaps he wanted north of $400m. It will be interesting to see what he actually signs for now that the Yankees are the only real SS needy team.
I think expecting the #1 FA to go to Detroit was a pipe dream. Correa wants to stay in Houston by everything I’ve seen in the last week. Unless Detroit was going to move a truck of cash, which became a lot larger thanks to the Mets and Rangers deals, they had zero shot. I like Baez for Detroit. Smarter investment and provides another cog in their rebuild, which has a few more years to go.
How is he a smarter investment. It’s a 7 year deal with a lot of ups and downs in his past with an alarming SO rate.
Because he’ll cost half as much and will be at least a 3WAR player even when the bat is struggling? Are you new?
Nothing like having a 1.5 WAR defender and a 1.5 WAR stick. Oh, you’ll just LOVE him, mark my words.
{hee-hee}
116 wRC+ is not “back of the lineup”. He’s now by miles the best hitter the Tigers have.
Won’t be for long
Bottom half of the lineup where his Ks won’t kill things. 7th or 8th likely as we go into summer.
@seamaholic
Candelario, Schoop, Grossman, and even Cabrera are better hitters. Cabrera with the bases loaded is still dangerous.
Hey somebody please wake up Chaim Bloom!!! Hey Bloom you are underwhelming everyone and could not even sign your own guy EROD. Stop dumpster diving and paying Wacha 7 million dollars when he should be on a minor league contract with an invite to spring training! Even Tampa Bay is spending this off season. These free agents are not coming to you on major league minimum contracts.
Agreed, AL. Bloom is out-thinking everyone, I suppose. This new direction in Boston is frustrating. Perhaps they’re in talks with the Reds about some pitching? Let’s hope so.
While I also want the Red Sox to start pulling the trigger on deals, I am happy they are staying out of these deals at these price levels.
I also have to assume this means Bogaerts opts out next year and goes for more money. They also have to think about Devers reaching FA soon as well.
I think more teams should take the same approach the Rays did with Franco… $16.5/year would be overpaying in the short term with his controllable years but that contract also buys out like 5 years of FA eligibility. In the 6 years under team control he would probably make ~$45 million (for comparison, Mookie Betts was set to make ~$60 before the pandemic cut salary in 2020). If Franco continues at this pace with the names he’s put himself in comparison with he could probably make more than $45mil and when he becomes a FA he’d probably make $25+/year or more with the way contracts are going. Doing that math out, that would be ~$170 million over 11 years. At $189 mil this may look like a slight overpay but a couple things to keep in mind 1) he’ll be 26 when he would’ve originally been eligible, which means he’d probably be getting 10+ year offers and not 5. 2) the Rays are essentially paying more now in the hopes to save more in the future and have more years of control and 3) the numbers I’ve listed are conservative based on his potential. He was the number 1 prospect in baseball and Seager just signed for $32/season who is also a SS that Franco projects to have more potential over. At $30/season and the $60mil in team/arb years that would turn out to become $210mil over 11 years but also the Rays would have had no shot to resign him after 6 years if he continues at this pace so they essentially take the risk he’ll be a bust in order to control him for an additional 5 years and at an affordable rate. Plus his contract would look so juicy for a big trade down the road if he plays anywhere near his potential. Might even be considered team-friendly.
Lots and lots of the green salad of salvation for a guy who strikes out 34% of his ABs
Cubs fan here. Baez can be frustrating, but he’s dynamic. He does defensive, baserunning, tag stuff that will blow your mind almost every game and can energize an entire team. He doesn’t miss games. Plays hurt. And just when you think he’ll strike out wiith the game on the line, he surprises you. I’d almost rather have him than either Correa or Seager and especially at 10-12 mil less without the ugly long 10 yr contract. Baez has an arm and can play 3rd, GG 2B… wherever.
He’s not a top of the order guy, but bat him 5th,6th in a deep lineup and enjoy.
Agreed. He may swing at pitches outside the zone but if he makes contact with those pitches, he can get on base.
Perfectly said. I think this was a very shrewd move by the Tigers.
He is everything Jade said. Better deal than Seager at 325 million and more durable. Worse than Correa or Seager at same salary but you could get Baez and Story for less than Seager got.
Challenges with Baez is not the physical talent as much as the baseball acumen. He’s just all about himself and stats and has never learned how to adjust during an at bat ie. moving runners over or getting the ball in the air to score runners from third etc. If you match up Tiim Anderson to Javier Baez you take Anderson all the time.
That was so funny, thank you for the early AM laugh.
Well the early SS signings are weakening Correa”s deal. His best move may be to resign with the Astros and possibly play in the World Series. He won’t with the Tigers, even with Baez on the team. The have no starting pitching.. His only choice at the playoffs would be with the White Sox. Could be interesting to see who caves in on his demands.
Franco22 doesn’t follow baseball much?! Detroit is loaded with young, highly rated starting pitching Mize, Skubal, Manning and many more great young arms on the way in the minors. Tigers had one of the best rotations in the AL last year even before their first wave, 3 young starters scratched the surface of their potential and talent.
Try to keep up!
Wake me when the Tigers allow their “young studs” to go more than 4 innings in a game, OK? Meanwhile, Bieber, Civale, Plesac, Quantrill, and McKenzie have no problem pitching deep into games, and most assuredly against lineups the Tigers routinely put out there.
HEY SPORTSFANOOO , CEASE, RODON, GIOLITO, KOPECK, CROCHET ALL YOUNG PITCHERS WON THE DIVISION. TRY READING THE BOX SCORES AND STANDINGS. YOU ARE NO SPORTS FAN IF YOU CAN’T NAME THE DIVISION WINNER, KEEP DREAMING FOOL.
TA MISSED 42 GAMES IN 2021, SO YOU CAN’T TAKE HIM ALL THE TIME IF HE ISN’T THERE ! Bad fantasy pick, no Caesars rewards with TA.
How many of us on here are entitled a I told you so on Boyd? The Tigers held onto him pointlessly and now he’s going to get released. We all knew he was overachieving a few years ago and that was the time to deal him while he was cost controlled. Just plain bad GM-ing. They haven’t competed for anything and he won’t be part of the rotation moving forward.
What were the Tigers offered for Boyd that they turned down?
Don’t expect an answer. They don’t have one. I’m sure it was something similar to what they had to take for JDM.
Other teams offered waiver wire trash for Boyd. What’s the difference to the Tigers?
Boyd is a future Pirate!
Try to keep up! We went over this multiple times. Boyd had more value as the leader of a young pitching staff eating innings on a rebuilding ballclub
than to be traded and for the Tigers to accept “lowball” offers for his services.
For example, the Yankees lowballed the A’s on Sonny Gray.
Two prospects who had surgery and another washout prospect for Gray who was one of the best starters in the league. Out of the 3 prospects the Yankees sent to the A’s, two of them are crap, never produced, are bouncing around team to team trying to stay in baseball.
The last prospect had surgery, was injured for years and finally produced a decent year at the MLB level (James Kaprellian) after years of injuries and no decent production.
Yankees probably offered even less for Boyd.
Why would Avila or any GM take the Yankees lowball, junk offer?! Yankees and some teams in the league try to treat the Tigers like their farm team. Avila was not taking the “sucker bait”.
They didn’t. Boyd had more value staying and pitching in Detroit.
It is common with injured players coming off rehab to be released and then resigned at a lower contract rather than let them go to arbitration and get an automatic raise after surgery and after sitting at home all last year.
Try to keep up!
So HODL for a 4th at best or 5th starter on a decent team? Yankees weren’t the only team calling on Boyd in 2019. Fact is, he was someone they could have dealt, to someone that no one wanted. You can sign veteran inning eaters every year. If you’re a rebuilding team you need as many potential players as you can get. You knew what you had and nothing in his past suggested he’d have kept up his 1st half of 2019.. Nothing to keep up with, they can non-tender him and bring him back cheap as an inning eater or he goes elsewhere and they have nothing to show for it.
No one has released any potential trades for Boyd, just speculation.
Six years, 140M
I would take the Siemien deal over this one
Yes, but then the nattering nabobs of negativity here would complain Semien’s 31 years old.
I agree 100%. The two most likely guys to Bomb after receiving big money are Baez and Story. Which is why I want neither.
How are they the most likely?
May just have the best glove in the game but I think he stinks with the stick… they should have pursued Correa a little harder..
I’m fine with the Mets sitting this one out, but it does underscore that trading PCA for half a season of Baez was a foolish move. Even if their end goal was what they’ve done this offseason, he could have been a nice chip to use toward another SP.
Whiff City gets $140M.
Thumbs up to the Mets not re-signing the inspiration for “thumbs down”. I saw the talent too, but that was unforgivable. Mets finally showing themselves some self-respect.
As a Mets fan I couldn’t agree more. Still worried about Lindor’s fit in NY.
I Absolutely agree. I’m not one to overreact to a bad first year, we’ve definitely seen that before. The problem is, from day one Lindor doesn’t appear to be feeling the vibe here and has sort of shied away from any suggestion that he’s a leader of the team. Comes with the territory though when you sign that contract, buddy.
I so love people complaining about cost and term of players. These same people then rag on Pittsburgh for not paying up for players. Which is it? Trying to compete and win by acquiring talented players? Or being financially “frugal” (some may call it cheap) and sucking forever (see Pirates, Pittsburgh)?
As a White Sox and Pirates fan this is a good move for Detroit.
As a fellow Pirates fan, I guess the only caveat here would be an owner and former front office that seemed to continually change its strategy midstream. Develop players in the minors, watch them mature, trade them or watch them sign elsewhere and apparently decide on a rebuild, only to them send your top prospects away for a suspect pitcher in hopes of making a run for a WC game. You’re right, the owner here is profit-first oriented and knows that getting fans to the park isn’t where he makes a killing but while the Tigers seem to be committed to “going for it” by paying market value, the scattershot approach of the Nutting group is akin to a shell game. Throw a few peanuts to baseball fans to appear that “competing” is the goal when all the time, it comes down to profits. Will be interested to see if there is some paradigm shift as all of this young talent that Cherington has amassed makes it to the show and begins to excel
I really like this deal for the Tigers. The years/$ make sense. Yes, Baez has obvious flaws but he will get to his 4-5 war in spite of it. However, I think the Tigers bringing in a big personality and clubhouse presence is really going to help a young team.
Plus. I just like seeing more teams spending money and not tanking.
I have no problem with teams tanking. It is usually just a reflection of what everyone knows; that the team stinks.
But the other side of the coin is that, when the rebuild reaches fruition, then they need to use all the money that they saved during the rebuild.
IMO, the Tigers have handled this flawlessly. They have a great foundation, they started winning, and they are spending good money at the right positions.
Kudos from a Red Sox fan.
Tanking isn’t the problem. Tanking without any plan to win is. If every team tried to win it all every year, you’d have the same number of teams below .500, the same number of teams missing the playoffs, and the same complaints of why people’s favorite teams didn’t try harder/smarter. Tanking to rebuild is a smart strategy; for all but the best-run small-market (and even some large-market) teams, it’s the only way to join the likes of the Dodgers and Yankees, even if only for a few years.
Excellent. I have no idea why this is not blindingly obvious. I try to explain to people that, no matter how they divvy up the revenue, someone is still going to be the worst 1-2-3 teams in baseball.
If you are a fan of one of the worst teams in BB, say BA, would you really prefer to see them not tank?
I’m a die-hard White Sox fan. I watched them struggle from 2019-2016, each year believing that they were just one slugger or one starter away from contention. I was jubilant when the Sox traded Sale and Eaton to kick off the rebuild. While I was eager for them to come out of it, at least I had hope. Hope + a bad team > no hope + mediocre, directionless team.
The Tigers will regret this signing by June
Yeah, agree. Would seem to me that this is the best thing that could have happened to the Mets. All the drama this guy brings to the clubhouse outweighs his talent
Bingo
With the budget signing compared to signing Correa. Will Al go get another solid piece to this puzzle? A C Taylor or another pitcher?
Signing Baez after not getting Correa is like expecting Gal Gagot to go with you to the prom and getting turned down and ending up with Harley Quinn instead. This could be a Cashman Ninja move. Take the criticism and say nothing now, and end up with Correa later?
I’d make a friendly wager that Baez earns more WAR/$$$ than Correa does. Correa is a better pure talent, but doesn’t play as many games as Baez, and will cost 50% more in terms of $$$ and years.
IMO, in 7 years, Correa will have only slightly more WAR, while NYY fans are complaining about Correa’s final 3 years and $105M left on his contract.
If Baez earns more $/WAR this is only going to be a 2 year deal. Upside is very limited for the team here. I wouldn’t have minded this deal structure on a team that was a serious WS contender but on a team coming off a rebuild—you’re only getting 2 years if he plays well. Obviously you can give him another contract after that but you’re handing out more $ to an older player.
Harley Quinn is played by Margot Robbie, who in my mind is even hotter.
That said, my first thought was Yankees pivoting to Correa. We can be confident the Dodgers aren’t looking at him, lol.
I am taking Godot over Robbie ( although it is closer then Correa over Baez in baseball ability). I rank Godot fourth as far as hot 21st Century actresses in their prime. Who are they?. 3: Marion Cotillard. 2: Elisha Cuthbert. 1: Salma Hayak. I rank only one actress above Salma in film history Sophia Loren ( Marilyn Monroe is third).
Elisha Cuthbert as second hottest 21st century actress? Really!?!?!
Did you see The Girl Next Door?
No, but you definitely have me curious if you have her ranked as the 2nd hottest actress! Schwing!
Just google some photos of her from that movie and you will see what I mean. Hot and adorable at the same time.
Sophia Loren is also my top all time.
I’ll happily take Harley Quinn. She is probably insane in bed.
This is not Zimmermann v. Scherzer 2.0 for the Tigers.
1. The gap between the AAVs of these two players will be much larger than the ~$4M (when factoring the time value of money, the Scherzer deal was ~$26M AAV v. $24M for Zimmermann).
2. Baez is a really good player. He had a bad COVID year. You ignore that, and he can reasonably give the Tigers 4-6 bWAR per year. For the Tigers that is like 5-7 extra wins because their SSs last year were BELOW replacement value.
As far as the Mets I don’t know what they do for bats but can’t believe how stupid many of them are to think canha and especially Escobar are just depth pieces for the bench! Escobar is versatile enough where he would have a everyday role for every single team every team without fail ! But to some Mets fans the idea of starting at 3b is so awful and Cohen has to go get Bryant or Chapman or Ramirez
As a White Sox fan, this makes me happy. Correa would’ve pulled the Tigers much closer to even with the Sox. Baez will improve their offense, but not by nearly as much and his streakiness will annoy Tigers’ fans.
I know this leaves more money to address other holes than a Correa signing would have, but I think Correa would’ve been worth it, at least during their upcoming window.
I have a feeling that if Baez loses it, he loses it quick. Ala, Carlos Gomez. Different positions, sure. But they feel like similar style hitters.
So love him or hate him, its starting to look like Jed Hoyer’s prediction that the offers they made the “core” would hold up in free agency, appear to be coming true.
I know the Mets have overspent this offseason but I’m really glad they didn’t pay that kind of money to bring back Baez
I’ll take Baez and his contract over what Correa will end up with any day of the week, the Baez contract won’t be as hard to swallow in 4 years. I like this for the tigers hope they sign a few more players with the money saved on Correa, they should have a decent team
So who’s signing Correa?
Astros. Same as it ever was.
Phillies, Yankees or Astros.
I think he stays with Houston but on a short deal with a big payday per season. I don’t see Crane offering anything more than 5-6 years. Just my $0.02…I could be way off.
Not a bad signing.
While I’d rather pay this price for Baez as opposed to the price for Correa, if I were a Tigers fan seeing Baez strikeout over and over would get real old real quick.
Real Tiger fans are upset. This is a waste of money, trying to generate interest in a mediocre team that has stopped short in it’s rebuild.
A lot of people don’t buy into this media hoopla you guys are trying to generate. Most Tiger fans I know are not planning on following the Tigers next year…they are sick of Al’s bull
We want a team that.kicks ass,.not.gets.lucky.to squeeze into the playoffs.and hope for.more.luck.to win the WS.
Wrong attitude, Al.
We would like to see Abrams, Luciano and Greg Jones fight.it.out to.be.our starting SS.
But Al has no FOCUS OR PRE DETERMINED GOALs!!!
This way, MAYBE, we will win a WS in the next ten years.. .
So all of this waiting is for absolutely nothing. They could.have made these.moves to begin with!
Knowing that your team, “got lucky” is NOT the same a being able to say, “the Tigers kick ass”.
That is what is wrong with Al Avila’s philosophy.
And that is not to say the J Baez is not a fine player. He is probably the most versatile of all the available choices. A good player to sign but not in this environment.
Grumpy is in the house!
What is.. kill joy.
A lot of money for a K artist
Seems like he got underpaid to me.
I knew all of the rumors of him going to the Mets were BS. Good. Met fans way overrate this guy.
Because he had a hot six weeks and Somehow think he’ll do that the rest of his career
Yep that’s pretty much it
No way the owners can claim they are losing money with these dollar amounts.
Have you done actual math on that? Of course not, it’s a biased, uneducated guess.
My goodness man! I am not completely in love with this signing, as I wanted to sign Marcus Semein, but the years and AAV on this contract make perfect sense! Alot of Tigers “fans” seem to piss and moan no matter what the club does! Their damned if they sign someone and damned if they don’t! Those who are crying at this signing would be going NUTS if Avila sat and didn’t do anything! For 6/$140M (and an opt-out) I will take this all day long over a 10 to 13 year contract! This also leaves room for another signing, be it a SP or an OF. Some people are going to complain just for the sake of complaining! Great signing A Avila, and along with E-Rod and Tucker Barnhart to go with Tork and Greene coming this year, Im excited as hell bout my Tigers! Here’s to 2022!
Me too Dtown. The cast is coming together well, and there is enough talent in the pipeline to fill it out over the next several years.
Correa to the Yankees
Gallo, Matt Chapman and Ohtani all struck out more than Baez with less ABs in 2021.
Didn’t realize that. By the standards of this board, they must suck! And to think Ohtani won the MVP!
Mets offered $125m according to a source, who could just be making that up
Wow this off-season had so much promise for the Tigers but now it’s all gone
Are you already bailing out on your underperforming Padres and now dumping on another team because misery loves company?
Yeah there was so much promise and then they signed one of the top free agents for a reasonable price and now that promise is gone
I’ve seen alot of your takes padresfan and all you do is troll,troll and troll some more. Why don’t you just thrash your club and leave your awful opinions to yourself.
When talking about money and contracts, there is one thing I am very interested in knowing. I remember reading several weeks (or months) ago that the Illich Empire signed a new TV deal with Bally Sports with “details on the terms coming soon”. I have heard nothing so far and wonder why they are keeping the details a secret. Are they afraid of the backlash from their fan base when it is disclosed they are getting a boatload of money far and above their current contract but only dipping their toes into the market,(I.E getting the #5 of the top 5 rated shortstops).
They should’ve just tried to sign Semien.
Who said they didn’t?
DISLIKE
I think Javy is a guy who declines significantly once the bat speed slows a little bit.
The best case scenario for the Tigers could be that he opts out after 2 seasons. Really limits the Tigers upside if he’s truly great though. I’m surprised they didn’t go for the opt out at least 3 years down the line. Realistically you’d think the Tigers window to make noise in the postseason opens in 2023. That means you get 1 crack w Baez if he performs at a high level. Kinda funny.
Yes, but Kreidler is either developed or not by then and at least there is the possibility of a credible internal option.
Maybe so. But what if Baez stinks?
It’s a 2 year deal with 4 years of insurance for Baez if he doesn’t perform to expectations. I just think 3 years made much more sense for where the Tigers are if you have to give him an opt out. The upside of this deal for the Tigers is really limited. I don’t think this team is ready in ‘22. Unless they expand to the 14 team playoff—I think ‘23 is when you look at this team coming together.
Bingo. I would never give a player an opt-out that a team doesn’t also possess. Not having shared risk on a guaranteed contract is ludicrous.
An opt out is ok in the right circumstance.
It’s bad for the team but it’s an incentive to get a player to sign. I’m fine with doing so if you’re comfortable with the window of time you know you’ll be able to control the player. 2 years just doesn’t make sense to me for this Tigers team. At all.
He’s leaving or asking for more money right in the middle of your contention window if he performs well. That makes no sense to me. This deal would make sense from me if it were a team whose window was clearly open the next 2 years. The Dodgers sign a deal like this—-OK, sure. Just doesn’t make sense for DET’s timeline.
Wonder if Cubs are on his no trade.
I think it’s a smart move by Baez. Callis ranks the Tigers system 7th. Mize, Skubal, and Manning are all up. They’ve got Baddoo
They’ve got to worry about the Royals in a few years but they’re ahead of the Royals in the rebuild. Which means in 3 or 4 years the Tigers will be in position
@Camden Greene and Tork are coming this year too. That’s 3 consensus top 10 prospects in last years rankings.
That rotation adds in Skubal and Erod this year, and Turnbull next year from TJS, and they are in a VERY good position going forward.
Tigers are poised to be the next big young team on the rise like the Astros several years back and the white Sox recently
Huge Tigers fan, and I LOVE this! Are people forgetting this guy has recently won a gold glove at the most important position on the field? Or how about being runner up in the MVP voting not too long ago (he’s 29)? How about he’s a better base runner and brings more energy than Correa? He also has stayed on the field much more than Correa.
Winning championships are about cogs in the engine, not individuals. How often do huge, long term contracts work out?
Yes, I understand the high strike outs and low walks aren’t ideal, but no player is perfect. If Correa was the same price, I would be inclined to take him, but he’s not. I actually have a feeling that Baez will have a bigger impact than Carlos would’ve. I understand there’s no way to ever prove this, but I’m a believer in looking at the whole package, not just the stats as I believe intangibles matter. I think Hinch will know how to handle him and I guarantee you he will be a far better value than Correa.
This is a MASSIVE upgrade at the position for the Tigers
If the choice was Baez 6 years/140 mil or Correa at 10 years/340 mil, then Tigers made the right choice. If Baez consistently hits 0.250 with 25 home runs and 15 steals and is capable of playing on the field as opposed to DH, he will not be a burden by the end of the contract. Right now, his defense is good. He does botch a few routine plays but makes some plays that no one else can. The guy knows when and how to flip a ball with his eyes closed and his body contorted and he is pretty durable.
Does Correa get more than Seager though? Seager being the ceiling and Baez being the floor i wonder if Correa even beats Semien. The market for Trevor Story should be heating up as he won’t get anywhere close to what Baez just got
Correa gets more than Seager. Dodgers could offer Correa two years 90 million just for giggles. But I think Correa will go to Phillies, Yankees or Astros for ten years and 340 to 350 million.
You are suggesting the Astros are going to add five years and $175 million more to what they’ve already offered? If they were willing to do that they probably would have done so from the beginning.
I think the Astros sign Story to what will probably be no more than a 3 year contract and let whatever mystery teams are in Correa out bid and over pay
He shouldn’t but he prob will
“But, but…the Mets…greatest double-play combo off all-time, and 10 years of Baez/Lindor…”
– MetsFan22
Good contract honestly. Now who ends up with Correa and Story.
For player or team?
A 2 year opt out doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense to me for this team. I don’t mind it as much with a pitcher like Rodriguez (though it certainly limits the upside for him too)
If they play well—they’re going to leave or ask for more money. This isn’t a team that really is in a position to make a WS next year. 2023 seems like the time where that possibility may open up. That gives you 1 year w those 2 unless they play poorly. In which case you prob don’t make the WS and then you’re stuck w/ underwater contracts. The 2 year time window makes sense for the Dodgers, Giants, Yanks, Braves etc. but the tigers? I don’t like it.
Feels like that Correa market is shrinking. I understand he will get paid but the big spenders seem to be thinning quick.
Am I the only one who thinks Baez is atrociously overrated?
Nope. I can’t believe anyone watched the Cubs after 2016 and thought, “Wow, Chicago isn’t as good as I thought they would be, but man, that Baez kid isn’t the reason why! He’s incredible!”
Yeah, that never happened. But now we think he’s going to lift the Tigers? Like he did the Mets?
C’mon, people. This deal is absurd. Fortunately, it’s something I depend on Detroit doing.
That statement makes no sense. The Cubs won the series in 2016! The guy was runner up in the mvp vote a couple of years later and won a gold glove. Hardly the resume of a bad or even average player.
Exactly what would you’ve done? Absurd is paying 300m to any player. Teams win championships, not individual players. Name me one instance of a player signing a mega deal and it working out. Exactly what would your solution to the shortstop position be?
You should be a bit more sensitive to one of the 12,000 Tribe fans, but having said that, it is indeed a bit absurd fotr him to imply that one position player can “lift” a team.
Define overrated. He wasnt rated as one of the top SS on the market.
He was overrated by some but a lot of us know his flaws because they’re pretty glaring… good to see he got nowhere near the 200M+ some were saying he should get
Well the early SS signings are weakening Correa”s deal. His best move may be to resign with the Astros and possibly play in the World Series. He won’t with the Tigers, even with Baez on the team. The have no starting pitching.. His only choice at the playoffs would be with the White Sox. Could be interesting to see who caves in on his demands.
The tigers have no sp? They just signed ERod, whose peripherals last year were very strong… they have Mize and Skubal who are clearly on the rise… they have a nice little rotation going but do need at least one more piece especially w Turnbull hurt and Boyd gone
Considering that Seager got $300m this is a bargain for the Tigers. Seager is better but not $160m better.
It’s never a “bargain” to overpay for talent, no matter how much other teams are willing to be stupider than you are. I laugh my ass off at people comparing these signings when all you can accurately say is one team is less idiotic than another.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Javier Baez right up until he signed the deal to join the Tigers.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Tigers’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Baez.
Good contract for Baez as he can bolt after 2 years. Strikes out too much for me, but for Detroit who has nothing else going for it. Good move.
Interesting to see with Detroit out of mix and Texas already having shot their wad to climb from 60 wins to 70 who will get Correa and how much less his contract ends up being.
Seattle? With front end loaded contract and opt out after 3 years?
Wow, such hatred Dog! “Detroit who has nothing else going for it.” Mize, Skubal, Torkelson, Greene, Candelario, Baddoo, Schoop, additional talent deeper in the minors. Nothing indeed!
“Dog” doesn’t follow baseball much…
Those who are bashing Detroit for not spending enough cash, who says they are done? There are plenty of FA’s left and that’s not even mentioning trades. These are the same people that would be talking mad amounts of s$!t if we signed Correa for 12/$350M saying we overpaid. And even when you consider the 6/$140M for Baez, he will most likely opt out after 2 years which will make this a very small investment and leave the possibility open to signing a major FA following the 2024 season. I feel sorry for front offices when you have to listen to crap like this from uneducated fans all day!
If he opts out, that’s bad for the Tigers because it means he’ll be more valuable than the remaining amount. I don’t think Baez will be opting out.
The worst thing is if he tanks, and DET is on the hook for the remainder of the contract. The best (for DET) is if his production out-values his contract. Regardless, both parties can work out a new contract if he opts out.
I am really not a kill joy, at least, kinda sorta……
Tiger fans have been patient a long time now, we tank and we tank… And not much else. No awesome trades netting us top prospects….nothing.
We wish for a full team of 9 rookies on their way to superstardom…
Can we take on salary from the Padres in exchange for prospects? SD wants to push
it now…..? Trade w/ SF for Luciano? Bet they could use Schoop and Soto…..but Al is too close to the players, personally. Does Dombrowski want to dump Gregorious’ salary? The Rays Kiermeier? The Blue Jay’s, Grichuck? What would it take to get Soderstromn from the A’s? They need a manager? Hinch is trade able like Chapman with the Yanks…… Soderstromn would have the nickname of “little Hinch”…then just resign Hinch if he is cool…… Lots of things a fans’ imagination with dream of…..
Killjoy? Let’s talk about Tiger management…….
By the way, I’ve been call an idiot so many times,,, it doesn’t even phase me….it just makes.me.more opinionated….lol
As a Mets fan I love this. See ya.
As a Tigers fan, thanks !
the strikeouts can be tough to watch, but the defense is elite and he has such a strong personality/presence/”it” factor/whatever that he will be the “face” of the franchise. i like the player and the team and hope it ends up being a good match (unless it’s against the yankees)
He’s got impressive pop, decent speed, but strikes out a lot. Has shown flashes of great defensive ability but then not so much. I’m not very surprised by the amount even though I think this is a slight overspend, but I am surprised that it’s the tigers that signed him.
In the immortal words of Nelson, Ha, Ha!
Baez declined a $180 million deal with the Cubs to play in Detroit. Not exactly the smartest guy out there.
Nope, but he sure has an inflated opinion of himself. That augers well for his time in Detroit. So glad they’re saddled with him…don’t expect that opt-out to EVER be triggered. Hilarious.
I’m just doing this to see what it looks like, lol…….
LF-Grossman LH-E. Rodriguez
3B-Candelario RH-Mize
DH-Cabrera LH-Skubal
SS-Baez RH-Manning
2B-Schoop LH-Alexander
1B-Torkelson
CF-Greene
C-Barnhart/Haase
RF-Baddoo/Reyes
DeSett75 Now put against the Sox lineup, Tigers still need help ! 1. Anderson 2. Robert 3 Abreu, 4 Grandal, 5 Jimenez 6 Sheets 7 Moncada 8 Sox DH 9 2BGarcia
Sox goal should be the World Series next year…not getting bounced again in their ALDS.
Tigers fans are expecting a winning record for the first time in 5 years, and maybe in contention for a wildcard spot all season…. IF the team is mostly healthy.
The Tigers expect to win the AL central because it’s soft and they have enough of a team to do it.
When you closely evaluate the Tigers going the Baez vs. Correa route, I came up with these conclusions. First, we do not know what Correa is going to sign for but it is a safe bet he gets a deal similar to Seager or even more $$$. That is assuming he is not forced to take a 1 year deal because he does not sign before the Contract expires and the lack of a new contract goes to or into Spring Training. On the other hand, if the owners ‘win’ the contract terms, allowing them more financial freedom to spend, Correa’s gamble to wait pays off and he gets, say 10/$350MM.
Second, local Detroit papers are reporting that the Tigers were not going to give Semien more than 6 years and Story rejected their offer, which I assume was 6yrs or less and/or not the $$$ Semien eventually got. Correa rejected the Astros last increased offer of 5/$160MM, so he was standing firm with his asking price in the range or higher than Seager’s deal. Avila and Co. were standing firm with their “we are not going to spend like drunken sailors this winter” comment.
Finally, if you look at their stats I do see that Correa is a much better ballplayer than Baez, but IMO not twice as good. At this time nobody is going to get Correa for less than or much less than Seager’s numbers. The Tigers wanted to get a deal done and not be left hanging with their pitiful on-the-field performance at shortstop. Comparing Baez’s 6/$140MM deal to a possible 10/$325MM+ deal, they got about 70-75%(or more) of Correa’s performance for about 40-45%(or less) of the money. Plus they have the opportunity to fill those last 4 years when Baez’s contract is over with a team controlled player making Arb. money or less. Hopefully Avila’s ‘more bang for the buck’ approach works out.
Correa will probably get as much as Juan Soto is expected to get. A desperate team will pay Correa over 400m
Now divide his pay by 137 games played in 2021. JP Crawford played 160 games at a lower salary, who is the better bang for the buck. JP defensively. SS need to be great fielders first.
JP Crawford has more bang for his buck, because he has 3+ years of service to Javier’s 6+.
He is also more durable, who plays 160 games anymore just him. One of the better fielding shortstops. with Frazier at 2B Seattle looking good up the middle.
No one is arguing about JP Crawford’s talent, durability, or Seattle’s infield. Seattle has more bang for their buck, because they are in a completely different situation.
Detroit just upgraded their SS position massively.
Tigers needed a SS and every one except Baez got 10 years so far. If he doesn’t opt-out in ’24, Schoop will depart and the Tigers could move Baez to second and maybe their prospect Kriedler will have proven worthy of starting @ SS. if not, the team could have 2 holes in the middle IF to plug, should he opt-out, Schoop leaves, and Kriedler doesn’t pan out.
If the Tigers don’t sign or trade for a SP and/or RP with the $$ saved by getting Baez before ST, then this signing loses more of its value..
btw….Javier Báez turned 29 today.
Nice early birthday present that he got from the Tigers.
So where does Carlos Correa go? I think the Dodgers or Astros. Not the Yankees as Hal is only interested in the money he takes from the fans. Oh, he and Trashman will be looking thru all the dumpsters on their way to the bank.
Wow, what a waste.
The only thing I’d pay that guy to do is leave town
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Not happy about this. It was Correa or bust. I know he’s an improvement over Goodrum, but we’re here to win a championship, not 85 games max
I KNOW RIGHT?!?!?! i mean what will the team do with the extra $200,000,000 more they didn’t have to spend on Correa?
Just insane.
:/
It’s not impossible for the Tigers to still sign Correa. An article a few weeks ago stated Ryan Kriedler had trade interest.
It’s hard to imagine the Tigers going all in, but that’s exactly what the Rangers have done. I strongly doubt they will, but I haven’t seen anything stating DET is off Correa. Per Sportrac, DET team salary is at $103m.