Tigers' late surge shows the negative impact of Javier Baez

Javier Baez was supposed to be a key part of the Detroit Tigers.

The shortstop had signed a six-year, $140M contract during the 2021-22 offseason with an opt-out after two years. Instead, Baez struggled during the first two years of his deal, to the point where he was one of the worst players in the league.

Unsurprisingly, Baez declined his opt-out clause during the 2023-24 offseason.

Baez had been even worse this season before landing on the Injured List due to lumbar spine inflammation, ending his year. He had posted a .184/.221/.294 batting line in his 289 plate appearances, hitting six homers and 12 doubles. Even his defense suffered as he cost the Tigers four runs at short this season.

The Tigers had already turned the page on the 2024 season before Baez was injured. A flurry of deals, including the trade of pitcher Jack Flaherty, led Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic to consider the Tigers one of the winners of the trade deadline. The future appeared bright in Detroit.

That future essentially arrived the moment Baez was placed on the IL. The Tigers had a 62-66 record on Aug. 22, the last game Baez played this season, and were 9.5 games out of the last wild-card spot. Detroit made up that ground in a month, entering Monday with a 82-74 record, tied for the No. 5 seed.

At this point, there is no question that the Tigers are a better team without Baez. The question now is what the Tigers do with Baez going forward. He is still owed another $73M over the next three years as the Detroit's highest-priced player going forward. Eating his salary may be a tough decision but it is one that has to be made.

The Tigers' magical run began once Baez landed on the injured list. That should be the final strike against keeping him in the organization.