5 Chicago Cubs MLB trade deadline chips whose value is plummeting

Chicago Cubs trade chips whose trade value is plummeting: #3 – Javier Baez

Now we don’t know for certain that Javier Baez is demanding a $200 million contract, but that’s the latest on the rumor mill – and it almost guarantees the end of his time in Chicago in my opinion.

That’s not to say he’ll be dealt ahead of the July 30 deadline, but it’s hard to envision any type of scenario where Jed Hoyer and Tom Ricketts feel comfortable shelling out that kind of money to a player who, while one of the most exciting and marketable in the game, is wildly inconsistent and strikes out more than any other player in baseball.

If you need proof of that, look no further than Monday’s game in St. Louis, when Baez made several… questionable defensive decisions and turned in an 0-for-3 showing at the plate with a pair of strikeouts, raising his league-leading total to 123 on the year.

Doing the math at home? That means Baez is now striking out 37.3 percent of the time – his highest mark since his rookie season back in 2015. But even then, he walked in 6.6 percent of his trips to the plate. Meanwhile, in 2021, he’s drawn a free pass only 4.2 percent of the time.

There are all kinds of potential fits out there for the superstar shortstop – namely the New York Mets, who need help in the wake of the Francisco Lindor injury. And there’s a good chance Baez is still moved – but how to value him remains one of the biggest questions in the game right now.