Chicago Cubs: A Javier Baez trade within the division could change everything

Here we are. July 20. 10 days before the annual MLB trade deadline.

The Chicago Cubs find themselves in somewhat of a bind before the trade deadline regarding their star shortstop, Javier Baez. On one hand, there’s Baez reportedly seeking a contract of $200+ million. On the other, he promptly went out and turned in an absolute clunker of a performance against the Cardinals on Monday night.

Baez hasn’t been a $200 million player in several years now. Those are just facts at this point. We know what he has done and we know what he can do. However, to reveal what you’re looking for contract-wise when you are currently not playing at a high level is pretty awful timing for the former All-Star infielder.

Baez is on record stating he wants to be a Cub for life. If shelling out $200 million was that easy, I am sure he would be. The Puerto Rico native would probably find himself on year three of a contract extension should he had pushed harder for this number in 2018 and/or 2019 when he was playing to this level. He didn’t and now here we sit.

Chicago Cubs: Is Javier Baez a trade chip or a long-term building block?

Since then, not much has changed. As fans, who are we to decide what a player is worth? We all have our opinions, we all have our cares and concerns. We all love Javy. Personally I root for him every time he’s at the plate. Now, If you’re Jed Hoyer and Tom Ricketts, are you ready to shell out that kind of cash at a critical juncture when for one, the trade deadline is now only 10 days away and two, Baez just isn’t putting up $200 million numbers right now?

Hoyer recently has been quoted as saying:

“People talk about rebuilds when you’re doing what we did in 2012. We’re going to have roster turnover. We need to do that. It was inevitable — you control guys six to seven years and it doesn’t last forever, as far as that initial club control, so we’ll have turnover. But this certainly is not a rebuild by any kind of definition we’d be using from our past.”

Baez’ timing for revealing a number at this point in the season personally tells me one thing. He doesn’t want to be traded right now. He does want to be a Cub and he believes in what he thinks he is worth. There is nothing wrong with that. This whole situation screams to me “Don’t trade me, let me show you what I got first.”

Hoyer now finds himself stuck in the middle. Most likely questioning himself, “Do I trade Javy if I can get good value, or will he come around and I’ll look like a fool for trading him away?” These are the tough decisions the head of a front office faces every year. When you have a face of an organization such as Baez, It’s that much more important to get it right. The Wrigleyville faithful doesn’t easily forgive poor mistakes made by management – right Nick Castellanos?

Chicago Cubs: You need high-level talent coming back in trades

Other trade proposals project Baez for a plethora of prospects and although well-stated, they seem like more of rebuilding scenarios to me, where as Jed has stated he is simply looking to re-tool.

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Therefore, if I were running the show, I would have no problem adding a prospect of my own, along with Baez, in a trade to go after the bigger fish prospect-wise. This type of transaction could be viewed both as Chicago selling while buying simultaneously. To re-tool in this sense means to do so quickly. Getting a starting pitcher that is nearing big-league-ready on a team that desperately needs a new and improved rotation moving forward in order to “re-tool” and once again contend every year such as the Chicago Cubs, makes perfect sense.

Though the Reds might be reluctant at first to dump their number two prospect for a just rental in Baez, adding in the right secondary player to fit another one of Cincinnati’s needs might make it all the more enticing if you’re Reds GM Nick Krall.

How aggressive will Cincinnati be? Unfortunately we will have to wait 10 days to find out. Hoyer seems to have tunnel vision in regards to both spending low while improving the team as much as possible moving forward. A fine plan indeed.

The fact is, whatever happens, we all fell in love with this core and we will fall in love with the next one. Bring on the change so we can get back to smashing every team in our way in route to a World Series.