Up until the delay of baseball, the Cubs and all star infielder Javier Baez were in constant extension talks. Javier Baez has spent his entire career with the Cubs and has voiced his opinion that he would love to stay. Baez is a very interesting player, while he can be very overrated at times by the media, he is still a talented baseball player. Javy has always been a spectacular fielder with a 19+ OAA and 15 DRS. Granted his hitting as eye popping, he held an .847 OPS last season and only a 114 WRc+. Today I will be answering the question on every Cubs fans mind, does Baez deserve the extension?
Even under all the heat Baez gets, he is still a very valuable piece to this Cubs offense. Even with all the plate discipline issues, he always provides power. Baez holds a 12.7 Barrel % and is in a higher tier for hard contact. Plus he is also a threat on the bases. We’ve seen the highlights, Javy’s athleticism is unparalleled. He’s flashy but it gets the job done.
Now let’s look on the financial side of things. In all honesty, compared to other Cubs stars, Baez will cost less. As much as I would love to keep Kris Bryant, he will be asking for a large sum of money, and the Cubs are not in the right position to do so. At most, I see Javy looking for something around $25 Million. If the Cubs could offer something along the lines of 6 years $150 Million I wouldn’t be opposed to that.
In the end, Javier Baez is deserving of an extension. While he may not be the best hitter on the squad, he still provides a spectacular glove, and can get the job done with his power and speed. Without Baez the Cubs lineup and infield just wouldn’t be the same.
Cubs writer for Field2Court.
