Javier Baez admits "it was tough." Just a couple days after signing a six-year, $140 million deal with the Tigers, the next chapter of his career was delayed by a lockout. He couldn't step into his role as Detroit's starting shortstop until MLB owners and players reached a long-overdue agreement last week.
"It was kind of like 2020 when the pandemic hit and we didn’t know when baseball was going to be back," Baez said Monday from Lakeland where the Tigers had their first official workout of spring training. "But thank god we’re going to play all the games and baseball is back."
As Detroit's most prominent newcomer, a two-time All-Star who won a World Series ring with the Cubs (and an NLCS MVP award in the process), Baez said he's "still trying to get adjusted to the whole team." He smiled at the mention of Miguel Cabrera, who was smiling himself as he chatted with a team staffer a few feet away. The 29-year-old said he's going to "be myself" as he gets to know the rest of his new teammates.
"I’m always a leader," Baez said. "I’m always around everybody. I gotta let them come to me first so I can get comfortable, but I'll be around all the guys."
The Tigers play their first spring training game Friday. Their season-opener is around the corner, April 8 against the White Sox. With a big year from Baez and further growth from the young talent around him, Detroit can make some noise in 2022. Baez expects to. After staying healthy, his goals for the Tigers are simple.
"Obviously try and win," he said. "Try and make the playoffs first, and then see how far we go in the playoffs."
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Baez expects to make literal noise with the bat. That's all he's done over his eight-year career, including down the stretch last season following a move to the Mets. He said it "feels great" to pull on a Tigers uniform for the first time, the same way it felt when he got traded last season -- "and it went really good over there in New York." As for hitting at spacious Comerica Park, Baez views it as an advantage.
"The field in Detroit, a lot of people say it’s big and it’s a long way, but I take it as you got more space to hit the ball. And that’s the key. You want to hit the ball where nobody is, and you got more room there," Baez said. "Homers are going to come. If we hit a lot of homers, fine, but we just want to hit the ball hard."
Baez figures to hit third or fourth in the Tigers lineup. He's one of only four shortstops in the majors with 100-plus homers and 350-plus RBI over the last five seasons. If he continues raking in Detroit, the Tigers might be playing real October baseball for the first time since 2014. That's the goal for Baez, who knows anything can happen from there.
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