Javier Báez brings back memories of good times yet to return to Wrigley Field

What’s your favorite Javier Báez moment? Having played parts of eight seasons on the North Side of Chicago, there are plenty of Báez memories for Chicago Cubs fans to pick from.

Is it the chaos he caused in Pittsburgh on May 27, 2021, turning an inning-ending groundout into a little league double just by running back toward home plate?

“That’s one of those moments I’ll never forget,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “For better or for worse, you don’t see something truly you’ve never seen before very often in the big leagues, and that was one.”

Is it his solo home run in Game 1 of the 2016 NLDS, a basket shot off San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto that has become one of the lasting memories of the Cubs’ World Series run?

Is it his walk-off homer on Mother’s Day 2016, one of the earliest celebratory moments in a year full of them?

Is it his walk-off against Cincinnati’s Amir Garrett on July 26, 2021, one of the last things he’d do in a Cubs uniform?

Is it any one of the tags, swim-move slides or defensive highlights that earned him the nickname “El Mago”?

“I would say, for me, putting the tag, getting guys caught out at second base,” Kyle Hendricks, the last remaining member of the 2016 team, told CHGO. “I mean, that helped me more times than not, I can’t even tell you. So I have a lot of amazing memories, man. I would say more, I was always more impressed with just the defense and some of the just unbelievable plays. You’re like, ‘How did that just happen.'”

“I thought the lefty double [in 2020 against the White Sox] was pretty cool,” Nico Hoerner told CHGO. “So many of the plays, obviously. Anytime [the fans] would chant his name, and he would seem to homer on command, that was always pretty cool. And then just the day-to-day shenanigans and things. Just a fun guy.”

Whichever moment you prefer, there’s no question that Báez’s time with the Cubs was nothing short of memorable. No, things haven’t gone well for him since he joined the Detroit Tigers on a six-year, $140 million deal in 2022. Over the last three seasons, his 69 wRC+ is tied for the third-lowest among all qualified hitters. His 41 wRC+ in 2024 would be by far the worst if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.

But that shouldn’t take away from what he did while he called Wrigley Field his home ballpark. In that time, he made the All-Star team twice, won a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove, finished second in National League MVP voting in 2018 and played a key role in the Cubs ending their 108-year World Series drought.

“I don’t like the way this chapter of his career has gone for him,” Hoyer said of Báez’s time with Detroit. “I know he’s struggled. I have super fond memories of him. He helped us win a lot of games here, and as a result, I think he’ll always be a fan favorite, as he should.”

The fans in attendance Tuesday night, when Báez made his first trip back to Wrigley Field since being dealt to the New York Mets at the 2021 deadline, let him know they hadn’t forgotten about him.

It started about 10 minutes before first pitch with a tribute video, showing a montage of some of the best moments from his Cubs tenure. As he stepped out onto the field following the tribute, the fans gave him a standing ovation as “Javy! Javy!” chants broke out, thanking him for his contributions to their favorite team.

At about 7:30, when Báez stepped to the plate for the first time at Wrigley in an opposing uniform, the crowd gave him another rousing ovation, with the fans chanting his name once again.

“They know I play for the fans,” Báez said while sitting in the visiting dugout before that game. “That’s one of the reasons why I always try to be out there, because I know there is really good fans. And obviously, I grew up in this organization and on this field. The vibes are always really good.”

Of course, his series at Wrigley was a microcosm of what his career has become with the Tigers. He struck out swinging at a sweeper in the other batter’s box in that first at-bat, the first of his four K’s that night. He rode the bench Wednesday and then finished Thursday 1-for-3 after singling in the top of the eighth.

Báez was the No. 9 hitter on a second-to-last-place team this series, and as Tigers manager AJ Hinch revealed to reporters, he’s soon to be more of a part-time player. He said he feels “young in life and old in baseball,” though he’s going to continue working hard to get back to the player he still believes he can be.

But when a player so beloved in this city returned for the first time in three years, thoughts about how he’s playing right now were forgotten for a brief moment as the fond memories replaced them.

“Just his consistency, day in and day out, the energy he brought,” Hendricks said. “He was such a gamer, man. He put that jersey on. He was one of the most exciting, fun players to watch. There was a play every single day, it seemed like, that you were sitting on the bench like, ‘Oh my god. What just happened?’ But just such a treat to watch day in and day out.

“There are very few of those guys that just getting to watch him every single day go about his craft and what he did, it stood out that he was different.”

That’s true even for the players who weren’t around for the World Series run.

Hoerner was drafted in 2018 and was quickly promoted the next September when injuries took out much of the Cubs’ shortstop depth. Over the next couple of years, he got to see first-hand what it was like to watch Báez go to work.

“I’d always really admire that, no matter what, he wanted to play,” Hoerner. “That might sound obvious, but regardless of what he was dealing with in his body or anything like that, he was always ready to go. He definitely gains respect from teammates for that. He always played to win, he played hard and brought a lot of laughter and joy to the locker room.”

The Tigers are now on the other side of town for a series with the White Sox, so Báez physically isn’t too far from Wrigley. But his return was a reminder that those good times at the Friendly Confines almost feel like a distant memory.

The Cubs entered Friday 63-65, 10.5 games back in the NL Central and 5.5 games out of a wild card spot. They began the day with a 3.1 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs.

Since they traded Báez (the day after they dealt Anthony Rizzo and the same day they traded Kris Bryant), the Cubs are 241-269 and have yet to get back to the postseason. As the odds show — and given the fact they just let go of a veteran reliever in Héctor Neris to make room for a debuting arm in Jack Neely — it’s not likely that they break that drought this season, either.

But Hoyer made the tough decision to trade away Báez and the rest of the core three years ago, choosing to bring in prospects with potential like Pete Crow-Armstrong (the return in the Báez trade) and build with players like Hoerner. Hoyer might be happy with the health of the organization and what the future might hold, but the fact is this season hasn’t represented another step forward in the process.

Returning to the postseason — for the first time since 2020 and for the first time in a 162-game season since 2018 — is the way to start bringing those good times back to Wrigley Field. It looks like the Cubs will have to wait ’til next year, but that’s where Hoyer’s rebuild has to lead.

And then, if they can get there, the ultimate goal is making sure the fan base doesn’t have to again wait 108 years for a championship. If they can do that, they will create a legacy that won’t be forgotten.

Báez knows that as well as anyone.

“That’s one of the things that no one will take from you,” he said. “You’re always going to be a champion here.”

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