2016 Cubs legend returns to Wrigley Field this week as trade comes full circle

The Chicago Cubs open a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers at Wrigley Field on Tuesday in a game that will mark a homecoming, of sorts, for Tigers' shortstop Javier Baez.

Of all the members of the 2016 Cubs' core that won the World Series, Baez seemingly was the closest to signing an extension with the team. Baez, according to multiple reports after the fact, was close, if not days away, to signing an extension with the Cubs ahead of the 2020 season that would have kept him in Chicago for the long term. What derailed the extension from being finalized was the fact that baseball, along with the rest of the world, was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once baseball resumed, talks between the Cubs and Baez's camp never picked up where they left off. The following season, at the 2021 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline, the Cubs traded Baez to the New York Mets for top prospect, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

In a full circle moment, Baez returns to Wrigley Field with the reputation of being one of the worst free agent signings in Major League Baseball history, while Crow-Armstrong seems to be cementing his place as the long-term center fielder for the Cubs.

Prior to the 2022 season, Baez signed a 6-year deal with the Tigers for $140MM. It's been a miserable pairing for the Tigers as since the deal was signed, Baez has slashed .221/.263/.348. Baez's OPS+ of 71 during his time with the Tigers along with 32 home runs in just under three full-seasons with the team is a long cry from the player who he was with the Cubs.

The Javy Baez trade is at the center of the Cubs' series agains the Detroit Tigers.

Baez's return to Wrigley Fields comes at a time when the players the Cubs acquired for him, Crow-Armstrong, is beginning to show why he was the team's top prospects since the deal was made with the Mets in 2021.

Over the last 28 days, Crow-Armstrong has slashed .257/.295/.460 with an OPS+ of 145. It's been a significant improvement for Crow-Armstrong over the past month but for all the concern about the offensive players he has been as a whole this season, he still has been better than Baez.

On the season, Baez has a slash line of .185/.223/.298 with an OPS+ of 45. Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, is slashing .210/.255/.354 with an OPS+ of 68.

There is no doubt that the Cubs need more from Crow-Armstrong but there is no question the hope for continued ascension for their young outfielder, moving forward, is greater than what would have been the fear of continued regression from Baez.