Chicago Cubs

Joe Maddon Discusses Javier Baez Trade Rumors

The Chicago Cubs have a ton of good players and not enough positions to have all of them play at the same time, but even as that glut of talent has caused trade rumors to swirl, Joe Maddon has a message for his youngsters.

Before the Cubs’ game on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, Maddon addressed the trade rumors that have been floating around about certain guys on the team, including Javier Baez.

Despite the team’s desire to add a cost-controlled starting pitcher at some point in the near future, Maddon denied that the team has any inclination to trade away the flashy and talented infielder.

“(There’s) no intent on our part,” he said. “I just think the nature of our team, the young guys, you’re gonna hear that. If you’re gonna attempt to get pitching, you’re gonna hear the typical names mentioned. And just from our players’ perspective, I just would hope they won’t take it to heart too often.”

Baez is far from the only Cubs player to be mentioned in trade rumors, as guys like Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ have also repeatedly been floated as potential candidates in a blockbuster trade. With all three players in the big leagues now, it’s hard to tell which, if any, could be used in such a move, but Maddon is adamant that the main reason players are mentioned in trade rumors is because their play is slipping at a given time.

“I think a lot of times when people are mentioned in a trade, sometimes it’s perceived that they’re not going well, people want to push them to the front of the line,” he said. “All of a sudden, (Baez is) going well, so I expect him to go to the back of the line relatively soon.”

After a sluggish start to the season, Baez is starting to turn things around, as he’s batting .262 with seven home runs and 22 RBI for the Cubs this season. 

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