Javy Baez will forever and always be a Chicago Cub.
He said so himself Thursday, his first time playing in Chicago since the Cubs traded him last July.
"This will always be home for me," Baez said from Guaranteed Rate Field, according to an article from 670 the Score. "I got a tattoo with the Cub logo (on my right arm). Winning for them is something nobody can take from you. It just was very special to be a part of the Cubs organization in the past.”
The Cubs selected Báez with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2014 and played for the Cubs for seven seasons before he was traded to the Mets in 2021. After the one season with the Mets, he entered free agency and signed a six-year deal with the Tigers.
Báez said he thought he would be a Cub forever and was days away from an extension before the COVID-19 pandemic hit — repeating what he told NBC Sports Chicago's Gordon Wittenmyer in April.
'El Mago' will forever be a part of the legacy Cubs team that ended the longest championship drought in sports history at 107 years.
He had a message for North Side fans who still miss their starting shortstop.
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"Tell them I love them,” Baez said in the same article. “I feel the same way, as they always showed love to me. The Cub fans are incredible fans. Many other players come up to me and ask me how good are the fans in Chicago because they see them from the other side. It’s very special to be a Cub fan."
Baez is struggling at the plate this season with his new team. Through 69 games, he is slashing .211/.249/.366.
However, he had one of the only runs scored in Thursday's White Sox versus Tigers game, homering to left field in the fourth inning.
The Tigers play three more games against the White Sox in Chicago this weekend.