MLB Insider Thinks Dodgers Should Trade for Struggling All-Star Shortstop on Horrible Contract

Could the Dodgers revitalize another career?

The Dodgers have struggled to get production out of the shortstop position this season. Not including Mookie Betts, who has played just 13 innings at the position this season (and in his MLB career), the Dodgers have had shortstops go just 9-for-69 this season, good for a .130 batting average.

Mookie Betts is making his first career start at shortstop today. Dodgers shortstops have combined to go 9-69 (.130 BA), that's last in MLB. This will only help the inconsistent offense. Mookie is an elite athlete & has all the tools to play SS. Mookie shortstop szn is here.

— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) April 23, 2023

Betts already homered in his first start at shortstop, and could find himself there a lot more this year, especially if anyone outside of James Outman gets going in the outfield.

However, if the Dodgers wanted to potentially pursue an external option, MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic has an interesting proposition — and I don't know if the word "interesting" is positive or negative here. He thinks the Dodgers should, at the very least, call up the Detroit Tigers, and see how much of Javier Baez's salary they'd take on to trade him to the Dodgers.

Don’t laugh, but I also might call the Tigers about Javier Báez, to see how much of his remaining salary they’d be willing to eat.

There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start with the salary numbers.

What is Left on Javier Baez's Contract?

Baez signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Tigers at the end of 2021. He is now in the second year of that deal, but does have an opt-out this season. However, he would be foolish to opt-out considering how much he's struggling.

So, assuming he doesn't opt-out, Baez has another four years and $98 million on that deal. Oof.

How is Javier Baez Doing This Season?

I assume your next question is how Baez is doing, so let me answer that for you. He's actually started to play better as of late, and I only say that so you see how horrible his numbers have been.

As of Tuesday morning, Baez is slashing .222/.278/.264 with zero home runs, eight runs batted in and 15 strikeouts — and yes, that's an improvement. Less than two weeks ago, Baez was hitting .100.

Baez is still a great defender at shortstop, but he's a far cry from the two-time All-Star who hit 34 home runs, 40 doubles and drove in 111 RBIs in 2018 with the Chicago Cubs.

So, obviously, no teams are lining up to trade for Baez, and no one is going to trade for him unless the Tigers eat a good amount of his salary — probably a majority of it.

Would the Dodgers Be Interested in Baez?

Finally, the final and most important question. The short answer is no. The obvious answer is no. The long answer is no. However, I do see where Bowden is coming from.

If the Tigers really just want to move on from Baez, even if that means eating a majority of his salary, maybe the Dodgers say why not. Baez has been a key player on a championship team before, and could just need a change of scenery to get back on track.

It's not easy to stay motivated for the lowly Detroit Tigers — maybe playing for a contending Dodgers team could do that for him.

Also, Baez is still just 30 years old, which is relatively young considering the deals the 30-plus-year-old shortstops were getting this offseason.

So is a trade for Baez likely? Definitely not. Is it even somewhat likely? Probably not. But is it an interesting idea, and should the Dodgers at least call the Tigers and see how much of Baez's salary they're willing to eat to move on from him? Absolutely.

The Dodgers are known for turning careers around, and this one could be much easier than some of their other reclamation projects.