To say that the Detroit Tigers backed into the playoffs would be the understatement of the year. The once dominant force slumped hard in the second half, and perhaps no one player is a bigger personification of the Tigers' 2025 season than Javy Baez.
Entering the season, Baez's contract looked like a mistake that had become an albatross as the six-year $140 million deal started off inauspiciously and then quickly aged like milk. Then something unthinkable happened: the much-maligned 32-year-old shortstop transformed himself into a serviceable third baseman, and then a center fielder, and then an All-Star.