Before reading this piece, take a deep breath, Chicago Cubs fans. Javier Báez is not going anywhere anytime soon. Consider this your trigger warning, however.
Báez’s career has had its fair share of ups and downs since he made his MLB debut in 2014. That season, he struck out a whopping 95 times in just 213 at-bats; just two seasons later, he hit .273 in 421 at-bats with just 108 strike outs.
During the 2016 postseason, Báez went from winning the NLCS MVP award to going ice-cold in the World Series. In six games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Báez hit .