The Tigers face a potential catch-22 this season with Javier Baez: either he continues to perform below the standards of his contract or he performs so well that he opts out next winter. In essence, either the Tigers enter 2024 with an overpaid shortstop or no shortstop at all.
But diving back into free agency doesn't seem to be in Baez's plans. While he can opt out of his six-year, $140 million deal after this season -- and leave $98 million on the table -- the two-time All-Star signed in Detroit with the intention of staying here.
"I just have to have a good year and see how the team plays this year. We're building something here," Baez said Wednesday in Lakeland, via the Detroit News. "There are rumors about different stuff, but we'll see what happens. I obviously don't want to start a new chapter with a new team. We're here trying to win."
The Tigers signed Baez last winter with the belief their rebuild was over. While he was ultimately Detroit's best player in 2022 by Wins Above Replacement, Baez had the worst season of his career in a disastrous season for the Tigers, who fired GM Al Avila in August. Now a new regime is trying to rebuild again.
When Baez was asked if a competitive season in 2023 will influence his decision to stay, he said, "For sure. A lot of things here are mental and we're going to fix them. We're going to make this a winning organization."
A lot of that hinges on Baez himself. If he can get back to the player he was, the Tigers can get back to the team they thought they were becoming in 2021. He needs to be steadier in the field, where he led the majors in errors last season, and much more dangerous at the plate. He did finish 2022 on a high note, posting an .831 OPS in his final 30 games.
If Baez plays like an All-Star again in 2023, the Tigers will be thrilled -- just so long as he doesn't go searching for a new home.
