DETROIT – What’s going on with Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Baez?
‘No locker’
On Friday night, fans on social media began to speculate that the Tigers might have officially parted ways with Baez when beat writers Chris McCosky and Evan Petzold observed that there was no locker for him in the visitor’s clubhouse at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago.
The comments to those posts were filled with fans asking, “DFA?” (designated for assignment).
Ryan Kreidler was called up at the same time to take Baez’s spot on the active roster. For awhile, there was no official explanation.
Injuries revealed
Minutes later, though, the Tigers revealed that Baez has been placed on the 10-day injured list with lumbar spine and hip inflammation.
It’s unclear if Baez will be able to return to the Tigers this season, as they only have 33 games remaining.
But at least for now, the Tigers aren’t parting ways with the 31-year-old shortstop for good.
Contract and struggles
It always seemed unlikely that the Tigers would DFA Baez at this point. He’s only halfway through a six-year, $140 million contract and is owed $25 million next season and $24 million for each of the two following seasons.
But many fans (with good reason) believe the Tigers should just cut their losses. Currently, the Tigers are paying Baez to be one of the worst players in MLB. They might be better off paying him not to physically hurt them on a daily basis.
Baez is a -1.4 WAR player this season, with a .516 OPS and only six homers. His fielding metrics don’t stand out, either.
Other options
Tigers fans might have thought the team was ready to move on because of the recent call-up of Trey Sweeney, who was acquired at the deadline in the Jack Flaherty trade and mashed for a short time in Toledo.
Sweeney is 2-for-14 with a homer and four strikeouts since getting the call to MLB.
