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Baez and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $11.65 million contract on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Arbitration raises are as much about experience as performance, a situation Baez will be quite happy with following his awful 2020 season. His performance at the plate completely collapsed, as he hit just .203/.238/.360 after posting a .286/.321/.544 line over the previous two seasons. He struck out 31.9 percent of the time while posting an anemic 3.0 percent walk rate. His defense at shortstop remained strong, but it will be hard for the Cubs to justify giving him an everyday role if he continues to reach base in less than a quarter of his plate appearances going forward.

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