Detroit Tigers Urged to Replace Javier Baez During Trade Deadline
The talk of the past few months for the Detroit Tigers has been about who they could potentially trade, but there's also a scenario where they add a player or two. If they keep Tarik Skubal, there's an even bigger of a reason to add talent, as they aren't as far out of a postseason bid as it may seem.
Even if they fall short, the Tigers have shown some bright spots in recent weeks, as their young talent has proven that they can play at the big league level. It's been impressive to watch, and it seems to be the beginning of what could be a better era of Detroit baseball.
If they look to add at the deadline, there are a few areas they could improve. Finding a long-term first baseman, catcher, and shortstop seems to be the biggest need as currently constructed. Shortstop, however, might be a bigger need than anything else.
Javier Baez still has three more years on his contract, which makes it tough to sit or release him, but if they can find an improvement at the position, why not give it a chance? While having that big of a contract on the bench is never the goal, it's not like he's producing. It's either they continue playing him, and he doesn't produce, or he sits on the bench and doesn't.
Either way, the Tigers seem stuck with that contract.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed ways that each team can improve during the trade deadline, writing that Detroit should be searching for a shortstop, pointing out one stat that shows how bad it's truly been.
"Detroit’s lack of production at shortstop is alarming; their shortstops have a combined .489 OPS, a whopping 79 points behind the 29th-ranked Braves at the position.
"Sure, Javier Baez is signed for three more years and $73 million, but he’s already in a virtual platoon with Zach McKinstry, so bringing in help at shortstop by next season should be a priority."
There aren't a ton of young shortstops on the market, as teams are typically hesitant to get rid of them. Bo Bichette has been a name that's been flirted with in trade rumors around baseball, but his price might be a bit much for a team like the Tigers unless they're confident that they'll contend for the division next season, which doesn't look to be out of the picture.
Perhaps something will come up in the next week with all of the moving parts around the league. Only time will tell.
JON CONAHAN