The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is the main reason why All-Star shortstop Javier Baez still doesn’t have a long-term contract with Chicago Cubs. Baez recently revealed that he and Cubs were close to reaching an extension agreement before talks stalled due to MLB’s decision to suspend its season.
Cubs have Baez under contract through 2021, but both sides wanted to forge a new deal sooner than later.
“Obviously, we want to reach an agreement, but right now everything is on hiatus. Just like it happened with baseball, we decided to leave it there. We haven’t talked about it anymore,” Baez recently told ESPN in a conference call.
Still, the 27-year-old Puerto Rican isn’t particularly concerned that the negotiations stopped for the time being.
“I’m very happy in Chicago. I believe it’s one of the best organizations in the major leagues,” he added. “We had several conversations but never focused on a deadline. They were very amicable conversations where we communicated well with each other.”
Baze might not have to wait for long to resume talks with the Chicago Cubs’ organization, as MLB is making the first steps to resume the 2020 season. The league is currently finalizing a plan that could reportedly allow them to hold “spring training” in June and start the season in July.
Javier Baez established himself as one of Cubs’ most important players in recent years. After being a part of the World Series-winning team in 2016, Baez made a significant step forward in the past two seasons, making consecutive All-Star appearances.
Baez, who made his MLB debut in 2014, has a.270 career batting average with 110 home runs and 354 RBIs.
