Yea, money is sunk cost at this point, so non issue for me. I will admit I never saw this type year coming from him, I didn’t have him making it out of ST, can he improve on 2025?
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When it mattered most, Báez emerged as the top contributor for the Tigers. He started at shortstop in all eight games during the postseason, hitting .313 with one walk and three strikeouts in 33 plate appearances.
The Tigers fell short in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the ALDS.
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Báez bounced back in 2025, posting a .680 OPS and reclaiming his role as the everyday shortstop in his first season after hip surgery
“I didn’t feel any soreness in my body, but I felt tired from the surgery,” said Báez, who had the procedure in September 2024. "When you get done working out, that’s how my legs felt a lot of the times, but we kept working and doing our routines in the training room with the plan we had for my surgery. It was hard to feel better, but I got through the season – and I had a pretty good year
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The highlight of Báez’s 2025 season?
He made the All-Star Game for the third time in his career – but for the first time in center field, elected by the fans and joining Pete Rose, Harmon Killebrew and Albert Pujols as the only players in MLB history to start the All-Star Game at three different positions. His trio: second base in 2018, shortstop in 2019 and center in 2025.
Báez spent 405 innings in center, saving the Tigers after injuries to their top three center fielders. He also logged 427⅔ innings at shortstop, 147⅓ innings at third base and 42⅓ innings at second.
Before 2025, Báez hadn’t played center field since Little League.
“What he did in the regular season was really special,” said Torres, a fellow starter in the All-Star Game. “He made the All-Star Game in the outfield. It was huge for him and for us. He did really good things for us during the year.”
