Cubs, Javy Baez were closer than you think to a contract extension

Former Chicago Cubs shortstop Javy Baez made matters incredibly obvious in recent comments to NBC Sports — the two sides were very close to an extension in 2020.

If not for a few days in 2020, this year’s Cubs could have an entirely different outlook, instead being an extension of the 2016 core, but perhaps with some new pieces added.

Instead, the team dealt away the likes of Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber for prospects. Chicago wanted to start over because they didn’t have the financial means to bring them all back.

“There was no reason to go halfway,” Hoyer said at the 2021 trade deadline.

But, signing Baez could’ve been the first step. It’s easy to play the ‘What If?’ game less than a year later, but Javy admitted the he and Chicago’s front office were incredibly close to reaching an extension before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I thought it was going to happen,” Báez told NBC Sports Chicago. “We were five days from getting it done. And then the pandemic hit.”

Cubs, Javy Baez extension talks a game of inches

Five days, that’s all it would’ve taken. Instead, the world stopped, and Baez was forced to think about he and his family’s well-being, rather then re-upping in Chicago.

Chicago, and the rest of baseball, were hit with a near season-long lockout. MLB played in just 60 games, causing record financial losses across the league. This impacted the Cubs’ long-term plans, as well, and all of a sudden that offer was no longer on the table.

Considering the new contracts the Core Four signed, it would’ve cost the Cubs $437 million for all of them. That’s a near half-billion dollars for the Ricketts’ family.

“They made my career. They made my name,” Baez said of the Cubs. “I’m grateful. And I’m thankful, obviously, that we won, [and after] what we came from — from losing teams to a winning organization.”

Javy is thankful to be a Detroit Tiger, as well. He’s turned the page. Have Cubs fans?