Chicago Cubs: Javier Baez could be a long-term piece

I hate the term ‘untouchable’.  It rubs me the wrong way, just like ‘it’s a must-win game’.

As far as I’m concerned, everyone has a price.  Now you might be saying to yourself, ‘What about Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, etc.?  Aren’t they ‘untouchable’?’

I will grant you that it’s a fair question to ask.  But need I remind you that there were rumors last year about the Angels possibly trading Mike Trout for a boat-load of prospects?

I’m not saying that there aren’t exceptionally great players that shouldn’t be traded.  What I’m saying is that every single player, in every sport, has a price.

That’s the case for Baez as well.  Does this mean that I expect Baez to be dealt anytime soon?  No.

There’s no questioning that the Cubs have been banged up this year.

They’ve had key members of their team: Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Hendricks and Addison Russell miss significant playing time.  While this may not be the best scenario for the team, Baez has been able to step up and showcase his versatility.

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There’s one player in particular whose absence has been a big part of Baez’s success: Addison Russell.  Now I don’t want to get into off-the-field issues, but Addison Russell has had a rough year thus far.

He has career lows in batting average (.230), OBP (.298), and  OPS+ (83).  The defensive metrics aren’t exactly up to Russell’s standards either.

Javier Baez also crushes Russell in the versatility column too.  Just to give you an idea, Javier Baez has played every position besides center, pitcher, and catcher.

As you probably know, Russell initially came up as a second baseman.  Since he and Starlin Castro flip-flopped positions in August of 2015, Russell hasn’t played anywhere else on the diamond.

The Cubs by no means have to make a move right this very second, but something has to happen soon.

I feel like starting pitching is a huge concern for the Cubs going forward.  I’ve written about possible moves they could make and I also hear all the things in the rumor mill.

What do I think will happen at the deadline for the Cubs: next to nothing.  I don’t think that this current team is built for much this season.  That’s why I think that Theo and Jed will just sit back and not make any rash decisions.

This offseason is a different story.  The Cubs have tons of guys on their team and in their system that can play up the middle.  Guys like Ian Happ, Ben Zobrist, Tommy La Stella, Jeimer Candelario not to mention Baez and Russell can all play either second or short.

I think that the Cubs need to trade a guy like Russell in order to acquire some pitching.  Also selfishly, I’d love to see Javy Baez play short every single day.

Next: Cubs' fans need to look ahead

What makes me hesitant to say that Javier Baez is definitely part of the long-term future?  A couple of things:

1. He can be a little aggressive and inconsistent at the plate.

2. He can also be a little too aggressive in the field and cause silly errors.

3. If the right trade presents itself, you’ve got to make the move.

To answer the question: Is Javy Baez a long-term piece for the Cubs?  Yeah probably.  End of article.