All-Star shortstop Javier Báez did not set an Opening Day deadline for contract negotiations, instructing his agent to continue discussions about a long-term deal that would essentially make him a Cub for life.
“We’ll see what happens,” Báez said Monday. “They’re talking. I’m just playing my game.”
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That does not mean a deal is imminent or guaranteed to happen, but it does signal a difference from the hard line that All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo took during a similar Zoom conference call one week earlier. While remaining composed and diplomatic about the impasse, Rizzo made it clear that he did not want to re-engage with the Cubs during the season.
Báez is still open for business, especially after his good friend Francisco Lindor signed a 10-year, $341 million contract extension with the Mets. Cleveland drafted Lindor with the No. 8 pick in 2011, one spot ahead of where the Cubs selected Báez. Lindor and Báez played against each other during the 2016 World Series and teamed up for Puerto Rico in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Lindor’s megadeal erases one big name — and one big-market destination — from the spectacular list of shortstops positioned to reach free agency after this season: Báez, Corey Seager, Trevor Story and Carlos Correa plus Marcus Semien (who is currently playing second base for Toronto).
“It helps everybody,” Báez said. “It helps other free-agent shortstops. No one was going to get more than Lindor, and you got to be honest about it. He opens the door for a lot of people.”
While the narrative has mostly focused on Cubs players who want to get paid next winter, Jed Hoyer’s baseball operations department will also be under immense pressure. The Cubs have a bottom-tier farm system that is particularly light on upper-level prospects. Potential free agents after this season made up more than half of the Cubs’ 26-man Opening Day roster. That group includes Báez, Rizzo and former National League MVP Kris Bryant.
Hoyer confirmed he had dialogue with the agents for all three players during spring training. Báez is represented by Nick Chanock of the Wasserman agency that has done substantial deals with the Cubs over the years, including Yu Darvish’s contract and Kyle Hendricks’ extension. Rizzo’s agent, Marc Pollack of Sports One Athlete Management, negotiated the original extension in 2013 that gave a rebuilding team a foundational player and helped make Rizzo this generation’s Mr. Cub. Bryant is a client of Scott Boras, who generally recommends that his clients establish their value on the open market.
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“We have a lot of great players that are in contract years,” Hoyer said. “Certainly, our hope is that we can have some of those players beyond 2021.”
Báez is three years younger than Rizzo at a time when front offices have a narrow view of free agency and a heightened awareness of the aging curve for players. While both are Gold Glove defenders, Báez plays the premium position and had been engaged in extension talks with the Cubs when Major League Baseball shut down spring training last year. Cubs fans should not look at this as an either-or situation. Even after COVID-19 restrictions slashed Wrigley Field’s attendance to zero last year, Forbes recently valued the franchise at $3.36 billion, which ranked fourth among all MLB clubs.
“I really don’t want to offend anybody, but I don’t have to show anything to anyone,” Báez said. “I just got to play my game.”
It makes good business sense to retain popular, marketable players, especially for a team with a new TV network and the Ricketts family’s massive investments aimed at turning Wrigleyville into a year-round destination. New Mets owner Steve Cohen, the hedge fund billionaire, made a statement with his involvement in the Lindor negotiations and declaration that the Mets will “act like a major-market club.”
“They don’t have to act the same,” said Báez, when asked about the two ownership groups. “They got different plans. They’re different people. But I know they want the best for their teams. They want to build something that gives them confidence and that possibility to bring the championship to the city. That’s what we’re here for. That’s what we play for. I know they got a great plan for us, and we’re going to follow it, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Báez views Lindor as the game’s most complete shortstop. Lindor has the longer sustained track record — four All-Star selections, four appearances in the American League MVP voting, two Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger Awards — and a career OPS (.833) that’s 58 points higher than Báez’s.
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Báez appreciates the freedom the Cubs give him as well as the energy at Wrigley Field. It’s harder to assess his offensive value after he dealt with injuries in 2019 and ran out of time to make adjustments during the 60-game pandemic season. Even if he doesn’t consistently match his production from 2018 — when he put up 34 homers and 111 RBIs and finished second in the NL MVP voting — he’s still a game-changing force as an elite defender, an excellent base runner and a dangerous hitter.
“I want to get better in my game every day,” Báez said. “I’m counting (on being) here next year, so I got no pressure on that. We’ll see what happens. They’re talking and I’ll leave that up to them.”
(Photo: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Images)
