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Detroit signs SS Javier Baez
By: Mike Stiles - Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Javier Baez (photo courtesy of MLB)

(DETROIT) – The Detroit Tigers have agreed to a six-year, $140 million deal with free-agent shortstop Javier Baez, according to sources. The deal also includes an opt-out, according to the source. It would be the second-largest free-agent deal in Tigers franchise history. (Prince Fielder signed a nine-year, $214 million deal with Detroit in January 2012.) While he struck out a league-high 184 times last season, Baez hit .265 with 31 homers, 87 RBIs and 18 steals. He also brings Gold Glove defense to Detroit with his signature no-look tags. The Tigers had been looking for a shortstop since it went 77-85 last season, finishing third in the AL Central behind Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox. Baez was selected in the first round of the 2011 draft. The two-time National League All-Star had been close to signing a long-term extension with Chicago before the 2020 season, but the COVID-19 pandemic put negotiations on hold. Those contract talks never resumed, and the Cubs traded Baez to the Mets this past July.

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