Amidst bounceback campaign, a former Cubs superstar hits major career milestone

A two-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner, National League MVP runner-up and World Series champion. Javier Baez made quite a mark during the first chapter of his career with the Chicago Cubs and, more recently, has regained his footing after a pair of truly dreadful seasons with the Detroit Tigers. It hasn't always been pretty, but you have to tip your cap to the Puerto Rican utilityman, who has hit the 10-year service time mark this week.

The Cubs and Javier Baez seemed like a match made in heaven

Baez made his MLB debut way back in 2014, appearing in 52 contests for the Rick Renteria-led Cubs. To say he lacked polish at the plate is an understatement. He punched out 41.5 percent of the time and finished the year with an abysmal 54 wRC+. But by 2016, he had emerged as a key contributor for Joe Maddon and what we all thought was a budding dynasty in Wrigleyville.

El Mago wowed at the plate and in the field for the World Series champions that year, with 2.6 fWAR and several clutch moments in October. In 2018, he put it all together and ascended to national fame, finishing second to Milwaukee Brewers' outfielder Christian Yelich in NL MVP voting after blasting 34 home runs, driving in 111 runs and scoring 101 times.

At least in terms of fWAR, he was nearly as good in 2019 - Maddon's final year leading the Cubs, prompting the front office to attempt to hammer out a long-term deal with him in the spring of 2020. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic halted spring training and delayed the start of the season, the two sides were unable to reach a deal, and Baez entered free agency that winter.

Javier Baez has seen it all in his tumultuous Tigers' tenure

In Dec. 2021, Baez agreed on a six-year, $140 million deal with the Detroit Tigers - the franchise's largest free-agent foray since Prince Fielder a decade earlier - and while he wasn't altogether terrible in his first year with the team, he certainly fell well short of fans' expectations. And, from there, things quickly went from bad to worse.

Baez finished the 2023 campaign at just 0.8 fWAR, due largely to a 63 wRC+, but even his defensive metrics fell well short of his peak years. In 2024, he looked to be a legitimate non-tender candidate - a high-priced one, to be sure, but Baez was definitely on the chopping block after he finished the year at -0.7 fWAR and a 42 wRC+ in just 80 games.

Early on in the 2025 campaign, it looked like the magic of El Mago had returned. But he's gone cold of late for a Tigers ball club that looks destined for October, slashing just .227/.261/.341 - good for a 69wRC+ over his last 92 trips to the plate. He's moved all over the diamond defensively and has definitely improved his standing, but you can bet Detroit fans are a bit wary watching him struggle.

There's no question. Javier Baez has been one of the most exciting players in the league over the last decade. There have been plenty of highs and just about as many lows (or, perhaps more accurately, more low-and-away sliders that left him flailing) - but there's no doubt he's the face of the franchise for a generation of fans.

And as someone who was there for his Mother's Day walk-off in 2016 - I can tell you that, if nothing else, he delivered one of the best moments in an unforgettable summer of Cubs baseball.