It’s not a secret that teams miss all the time in free agency. Whether it’s a high-profile miss or someone on the outer edges of the roster, it happens every year. Some, though, are being judged year after year because of the length and the money. The Detroit Tigers are on that side of a bad contract.
While Miguel Cabrera’s contract was nearing an end after a couple of bad years for the former MVP, the Tigers decided to go out and get another star infielder. They signed Javier Baez to a multi-year deal to replace Cabrera as the team’s next leader.
That multi-year deal went sour quickly, and is still being considered Detroit’s worst contract in a new Bleacher Report list.
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Baez was one of the core players on the Chicago Cubs team that broke their World Series drought and quickly became a star around the league. He had back-to-back six-plus bWAR seasons in 2018-19 and led the league in RBIs, finishing second in MVP voting in 2018. The middle infielder was a star on both sides of the ball, known for his nifty tags at second.
This tag by Javier Baez was so smooth 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/eRPCguR7pt
— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) October 2, 2025
When Chicago decided to tear it down during the 2021 season, Baez was traded off to the New York Mets and became a free agent after the season. The then 29-year-old was a highly sought after player who ended up with the Tigers on a six year, $140 million deal.
The contract went south pretty quickly, as Baez took huge steps back at the plate. In his first season with the team, the three-time All-Star posted a 91 OPS+, the lowest in his career up to that point. His OPS was .671 and he only posted 2.4 bWAR. A team can’t afford to have those types of numbers from their highest paid player.
In the coming years, it would only get worse. The next season, Baez would perform even worse, posting a .593 OPS, a 63 OPS+ and 0.8 bWAR. Owed $25 million in 2024, he would have a career-worst year. With -1.1 bWAR, and .516 OPS, he would be one of the least valuable players in baseball despite only playing 80 games.
What started off as a small regression quickly turned into Baez’s play falling off a cliff for a team that is now competing for division titles. Detroit wouldn’t be able to move his contract, but he played so poorly in 2024 that it was hard to justify playing him every day if they wanted to compete.
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The contract is by no means viewed as a win, but it doesn’t look as bad as it had after 2024. Baez improved markedly, but is still a below average hitter overall.
The 32-year-old had his best season since 2022, hitting 12 home runs, boosting his OPS+ to 87 and even had 1.9 bWAR after a negative mark last season.
For the first time since 2019, Baez was an All-Star. He made himself more valuable by starting to play centerfield as well as the middle infield, and he was good at it. According to Baseball Savant, he had five Outs Above Average, which is in the 90th percentile.
He’s also been great in the postseason so far. He is 9-for-26, good for a .346 average, to go along with a homer and five RBIs. With the way he’s playing, neither the Tigers nor their fans are paying attention to the contract right now.
That being said, Baez is still a player with a below-average bat who made $25 million in 2025 and is owed $24 million next season. He is a pretty big liability at the plate, with a 46.1 percent chase rate, which is in the bottom one percent, according to Baseball Savant. He’ll need to continue to play above-average defense at multiple positions for it to offset his poor offense.
