The Detroit Tigers have had an exciting few months of baseball because they are currently in the running for the American League Wild Card.The franchise has emerged as one of the hottest in baseball since the MLB Trade Deadline, when it made the decision to sell. If the season goes well, they may even make it to the postseason.

At the end of August, it appeared as though the Tigers would be focusing on the upcoming season, but a lot of praise must go to manager A.J. Hinch and the players for maintaining their motivation levels throughout the season.

Detroit has had a lot of success this season, but there have also been some setbacks. Javier Baez’s contract is one of the main concerns that the organization is dealing with. According to recent comments made by Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com, the team’s biggest disappointment this season has been the shortstop.

“Biggest failure: It appears that the Javier Baez contract was one of the worst free agent decisions ever made. To be honest, when we’re talking about a player who was once regarded as baseball’s most entertaining player, it’s sort of depressing to see. (But not in the format of an official ESPN bracket.) As a Tiger, Baez is hitting.221/.263/.347. The Tigers have gone 16-7 after his hip surgery ended in 2024.

In 2022, Detroit made a major splash when they signed Baez, hoping he would be a key member of the team for many years to come. But in 360 games since joining the Tigers, he has only hit.221 with 32 home runs.

It’s amazing how quickly he’s declined, given that he was once an All-Star player for the Chicago Cubs.

Being saddled with a large deal for a player who isn’t really supposed to be starting presents a significant challenge for a club that is rapidly improving. The Tigers are prepared to contend for postseason spots and probably the division the next season, based on what we’ve seen so far this season. Nevertheless, Baez’s contract has three more years left, so deciding what to do with him is a major challenge.

The expectation was that Detroit will invest some cash in the offseason to help propel this team to the top, regardless of what transpires during the remainder of the 2024 season. They might be reluctant to award another big deal, though, given the substantial sum of money owed to Baez.