Detroit Tigers shortstop Javier Báez, another bad season and an uncertain path forward

Nineteen months ago, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch described Javier Báez as an "elite player" in spring training before the former All-Star shortstop began the first season of a six-year, $140 million contract. After two seasons, Báez has yet to be elite in any area of his game while collecting $42 million in the Old English D.

The Tigers, at this point, know elite offense could be a pipe dream and would settle for elite defense from their highest-paid player, but even that is not guaranteed. His age continues to increase, and his production continues to decline.

Báez, who turns 31 in December, hit .222 with nine home runs across 136 games in the 2023 season.

"This is a season I didn't want to have," Báez said. "I want to be there for my teammates and my team, especially at this time preparing for the postseason. I've been there, and I've been in this position, too, with it being the last game and going home. It doesn't feel good. I gotta get to work."

40-MAN REVIEW: Evaluating every Tigers player entering offseason that leads into 2024 season

Báez has an opt-out clause in his contract, and although he hasn't announced anything, he is expected to return to the Tigers and collect $98 million over the next four seasons. The Tigers won't eat the rest of his contract, at least not yet. Báez, barring an injury, will be the starting shortstop for 2024 Opening Day on March 28 against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

His decision about the player option will become official after the 2023 World Series.

"Obviously, the numbers are not there," Báez said of his opt-out clause.

He paused.

"I like it here, too," Báez continued. "The group of guys, they're all young and together."

In the 2022-23 seasons, Báez had a .230 batting average with 26 home runs, 50 walks (4.4% walk rate), 272 strikeouts (23.9% strikeout rate) and a .634 on-base-plus-slugging percentage across 280 games. He was worth 1.9 fWAR in 2022, then 0.8 fWAR in 2023. His 75 wRC+, spanning the past two seasons, ranked 109 among 110 qualified hitters.

The Tigers searched for an elite shortstop in the offseason ahead of the 2022 season, had their sights set on the postseason, and wanted to sign Carlos Correa, a pursuit driven by Hinch and former general manager Al Avila. The Tigers floated a $250 million contract (which could have turned into a $275 million contract) to Correa, but Correa immediately turned down the offer and switched agents. (The Tigers refused to spend $300 million for one player.)

Ultimately, the Tigers ended up with Báez.

In 2023, Báez hit .177 against four-seam fastballs and .195 against four-seam fastballs inside the strike zone. Thirty-two of the 41 four-seam fastballs he put in play beyond the infield traveled to the right side of the outfield, meaning his swing was late. He continued to swing and miss at sliders outside of the strike zone.

"I just got to see the ball," Báez said.

A BETTER TORK: Former No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson refused to look at scoreboard in Year 2: It worked

Scott Harris, the current president of baseball operations who replaced Avila in September 2022, had nothing to do with the Báez signing, but Harris is stuck with Báez, for better or worse, in the immediate future. There's no choice but to try to fix him.

"I think there are some things that we can change about his work, about the specific things he needs working on, to make some adjustments that help him both at the plate and in the field," Harris said. "But we haven't done it yet. ... We have some new ways we feel like we can support him this offseason, but it's going to take an organizational effort."

Swing changes?

More specifically, a swing path adjustment?

Possibly, but the Tigers — led by three new hitting coaches — already tried to implement changes to Báez's offensive profile throughout the 2023 season.

One problem: He never made any adjustments.

"We're trying to find solutions for him," Hinch said. "But it's hard whenever he says he can't see the ball, he's not seeing the ball well. That's not something that is necessarily a quick fix. ... The effort that's going into trying to find solutions, just because we haven't been fast at finding them, isn't non-existent."

Make no mistake, Báez is embarrassed by his performance and wants to improve. For the man called "El Mago," also a former World Series champion and National League MVP runner-up, it's about so much more than collecting a hefty paycheck.

Here's an example: He honored his promise to talk to a reporter about his struggles, something he has talked about too many times over the past two years, following the final game of the 2023 season, rather than declining to chat or hiding in a different area of the clubhouse.

The point is, Báez cares about what he does on the field and holds himself accountable.

"I just want to worry about having my timing and having my trust," Báez said after collecting two hits in the Oct. 1 season finale. "If I get a good swing and good contact, the ball is still going to go out, but it was my mentality trying to create more power, so I was jumpy and not seeing the ball well. I'm going to work on that. I'm going to see more live pitches this offseason and see how it goes next year."

It's not that Báez didn't try to change his swing (and his approach) during the season, he simply failed to carry those adjustments into games against big-league pitchers. It seemed to be an execution problem, not an effort problem.

The Tigers believe a non-threatening environment, such as his offseason batting cage in Puerto Rico, could be conducive to making swing adjustments suggested by the trio of hitting coaches. Doing so would then allow Báez to test the swing adjustments in noncompetitive spring training games.

"Do I think we can just try harder next spring?" Hinch said. "No, we got to make some changes. I think he knows that. I think he's aware. He's not disengaged. I think that's a really important ingredient for our fans to know."

LEGIT HITTER: Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter proves himself as 'a solution' in long-term plan

If Báez can't fix his offense, the Tigers desperately need him to be an elite defender at shortstop. Too often, Báez rises to the occasion for the spectacular, one-of-a-kind plays but disappears on the routine plays. He needs to make both types of plays if he isn't going to meet expectations on offense.

But maybe, just maybe, there's a sliver of hope for Báez's future with the Tigers.

Báez has been swinging the same way for his entire professional career, going all the way back to his minor-league days in the early 2010s, so there was an understandable aversion to implementing real changes in his age-30 season.

The Tigers think Báez — who knows he needs to do something differently to salvage any chance of playing beyond his current contract — will be more open-minded to implementing the prescribed adjustments in the offseason.

He won't be an elite player, but perhaps he can be a better player moving forward.

"I know a lot of people talk about the age and that I can't do it anymore," said Báez, who hasn't hit 30 home runs or recorded an average exit velocity of 90 mph since his age-28 season, "but I know how I feel and know what I can do. I got to work on the right things and be prepared for next season."

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Changes needed for Detroit Tigers SS Javier Báez, but question is how?