The Texas Rangers made the first two biggest splashes in the infield market to kick off Major League Baseball free agency.
Early Tuesday morning, it was the Detroit Tigers’ turn to make some noise.
With both Marcus Semien and Corey Seager off the board, the Tigers reportedly have zeroed in on Javy Báez. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi is reporting Detroit and Báez are “close to signing” a deal, which will be for six years if completed.
Many thought Carlos Correa, not Báez, was going to be the Tigers’ priority this offseason. Correa, of course, has ties to Detroit manager A.J. Hinch, and the two even met for a meal in Houston earlier this month. But as we saw with the Rangers’ recent course of action, Correa taking his talents to Motown probably shouldn’t be ruled out, even with the reported Báez signing.
This will mark Báez’s third team over the last six months. After playing the first seven-plus seasons of his MLB career in Chicago, Báez was moved by the Cubs to the New York Mets ahead of the 2021 trade deadline. Between those two clubs, Báez batted .265 with 31 home runs and 87 RBIs last season. The two-time All-Star also logged a career-high 184 strikeouts, almost 20 more than his previous season-high.
Tuesday is a very important day for all 30 clubs across the big leagues and free agents. Should MLB enter a lockout Wednesday as expected, the ability to sign and trade players will be paused indefinitely.
