Javier Báez Declines to Opt Out of Tigers Contract; Owed $98M Over Next 4 Years

Javier Báez is going to play out the remainder of his contract with the Detroit Tigers.

Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the two-time All-Star has declined to opt out of his deal that has four years and $98 million remaining.

Coming off five consecutive losing seasons from 2017 to '21, the Tigers attempted to accelerate their rebuild going into 2022. Báez signed a six-year, $140 million contract to be their starting shortstop. Eduardo Rodríguez got a five-year, $77 million deal.

Rodríguez opted out of the remaining three years and $49 million left on his deal last week.

Those deals combined with the promotion of top prospects like Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene were supposed to make the Tigers playoff contenders again. Things haven't worked out so far, though there were signs of positive development for Torkelson and Greene this season.

Báez turned out to be a huge disappointment in Detroit. He hit .230/.273/.361 with 26 homers, 126 RBI and 272 strikeouts over 1,065 at-bats in 280 games since the start of 2022.

Among 111 players with enough at-bats to qualify for the batting average title over the past two seasons, Báez ranks 93rd in FanGraphs wins above replacement (2.7). His minus-28.3 offensive value is the second-worst in MLB, ahead of Cleveland Guardians outfielder Myles Straw (minus-29.8).

These numbers made it seem like a foregone conclusion that Báez was going to decline his opt-out. It would have been virtually impossible for him to get anything close to $98 million in free agency.

Given how poorly Báez has played for the past two seasons, there's an argument he wouldn't get more than a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training if he were to go on the open market.

There has been no indication Báez is unhappy in Detroit, other than not playing up to the standard he set for himself throughout most of his tenure with the Chicago Cubs. He made back-to-back All-Star teams in 2018 and 2019 and finished second in NL MVP voting in 2018.

Volatility has always been a hallmark of Báez's game, even when he was at his best. He's a high-strikeout player who can struggle to make contact for long periods of time, but he could also carry an offense when he was in the zone.

Going into next season as a 31-year-old, Báez will attempt to prove he's still capable of those successful flourishes. The Tigers will be counting on it as they look to build on the progress players like Torkelson and Greene made in 2023.