(AUDACY) The Cubs made a lucrative contract offer to shortstop Javier Baez before the 2020 season that he turned down, according to multiple reports.
The Cubs offered Baez "somewhere in the range of $180 million," Buster Olney of ESPN wrote over the weekend. That was similar to what Audacy Sports baseball insider Jon Heyman heard, as he reported Baez turned down a contract in the "$160 million-$170 million range" last spring.
In any case, Báez turned down a boatload of money on a long-term deal. He's currently making $11.65 million in 2021, his final year of arbitration, before he's set to hit free agency at season's end. Judging by his recent play, the 28-year-old Báez has some work to do if he hopes attract an offer anything like the one he turned down.
While Báez did still win a Gold Glove Award in 2020, he struggled mightily at the plate, slashing .203/.238/.360 in the pandemic-shortened season. Báez is off to another slow start at the plate in 2021, hitting .214 with a .267 on-base percentage and .464 OPS. In 74 games since the start of the 2020 season, Báez has hit just .205 with an underwhelming .625 OPS. In the two prior seasons, he hit .286 with an .865 OPS.
Star shortstop Francisco Lindor recently signed a 10-year, $341-million extension with the Mets. That could help raise the market for all shortstops, but Báez will still need to find his old form to get what he desires.
Between 2018 and 2019, FanGraphs graded Báez as the sixth-best offensive shortstop in baseball. Since 2020, Báez checks in as just the 22nd-best offensive performer at the position, and teams will have many strong shortstop options in free agency. Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Trevor Story are all on a path to become free agency, and Marcus Semien and Andrelton Simmons could be other more cost-effective options at the position.
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