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The 2021 New York Mets seem like a completely different phase of this club’s history and yet there is only one full year separating them from the present season. That was an underachieving ball club with only hints of Steve Cohen’s stamp on it. Several hitters put together massive slumps. One of the guys who played amazingly well for them was Javier Baez.
Baez batted .299/.371/.515 in his 186 plate appearances for the Mets. Most remembered for giving the fans a thumbs down along with shortstop Francisco Lindor, there was a thought that he could return to the team after the 2021 season.
Thankfully, the Detroit Tigers swooped in and signed the 2021 National League leader in strikeouts. Baez put together a disastrous first season with the Tigers featuring a .238/.278/.393 slash line. If you haven’t been paying close attention, things are getting worse in 2023.
Former Mets infielder Javier Baez has been a disaster in Detroit
The Tigers are a mess and one of the culprits is Baez. He’s hitting .122/.182/.146 to start the season. Just 5 for 41 with a single RBI, Baez was benched on Thursday for apparently forgetting how many outs there were.
From his early days with the Chicago Cubs and even his brief pit stop with the Mets, Baez has been a wild player who can dazzle with the glove, hit the ball a very long way, and make a stupid decision all in the same inning. In this instance, he seemed to believe there were two outs and ended up getting doubled up. In fairness to him, Baez may have forgotten what it’s like to actually be on base.
It’s hard to believe that after the 2021 season ended there was some thought the Mets could re-sign him and actually trade 2022 National League batting champion Jeff McNeil. Billy Eppler’s inaction on both fronts has proven to have helped the Mets.
Sadly, Detroit is on the hook for $98 million more over the next four years. This doesn’t include the $22 million Baez is set to earn in 2023. His contract does include an opt out after the 2023 campaign. Unless he just can’t stand A.J. Hinch, it appears the Tigers will have a big, bad salary on the books for several more seasons.