CHICAGO (670 The Score) – In town with his Detroit Tigers to face the White Sox in a four-game series, shortstop Javier Baez has returned to Chicago for the first time since being traded by the Cubs to the Mets last July.
Despite knowing a trade was on the horizon, Baez never really got a chance to say goodbye to the city and Cubs fans before being dealt to the Mets. So he was happy to share a message for Cubs Nation on Thursday.
"Tell them I love them,” Baez said from Guaranteed Rate Field. “I feel the same way, as they always showed love to me. The Cub fans are incredible fans. Many other players come up to me and ask me how good are the fans in Chicago because they see them from the other side. It’s very special to be a Cub fan. This will always be home for me. I got a tattoo with the Cub logo (on my right arm). Winning for them is something nobody can take from you. It just was very special to be a part of the Cubs organization in the past.”
Baez, 29, joined the Tigers on a six-year, $140-million deal this past offseason. He has struggled early on for Detroit, hitting .211 with seven homers, 28 RBIs and a .605 OPS in 68 games.
Baez played his first seven-and-a-half MLB seasons for the Cubs. He also had long thought he’d be a Cub forever. In late 2019, the Cubs extended a contract offer to him that exceeded $180 million, sources said. As Baez tells it, he was on the verge of signing the long-term deal.
"I know we were really close at one point,” Baez lamented of his extension conversations with the Cubs that continued into spring 2020. "But everything that happened around the world with the pandemic changed everything for everybody. I am happy and have no judgment about that. Everything happens for a reason. Who knows what would have happened if I would have stayed.”
Baez still gets a great deal of love from Cubs fans on social media.
"That is just the business side of baseball,” Baez said. “I am sure a lot of people wanted me to stay. I felt like it could happen, but there was always the business side. It was kind of hard to go through it. I am not the only one who was (traded). We went through the whole thing as a family, and now it feels good to be where we are at. I know there is a lot of talent here (in Detroit). We struggled a lot in the beginning. Everyone will forget about that and see how good we are doing at the moment.”
Baez was asked what his first thought was upon arriving back in Chicago with his new club.
"The first thing that comes to my mind is that I made it as a professional ballplayer here,” Baez said of his Chicago memories. “It had always been my dream to be a major league player. I am just thankful for everything (the Cubs) did for me and my family. The 2016 World Series was the greatest experience of my career.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker