Cubs legend Javy Baez reaches 10 year MLB milestone with a bang

Spending a decade in the show is a big deal for baseball players. Not only is it a rare accomplishment, with fewer than 10% achieving this, but it also marks a milestone in which players qualify for the maximum payout from the Baseball Players’ Pension Plan once retired.

For Baez, who is now 32 years old, he is enjoying a resurgence year with the Detroit Tigers, a team that signed him to a six year, $140 million contract. This year, Baez is not only excelling at the plate, evidenced by a .289/.324/.474 slash line with nine home runs and 35 RBI, but he is playing great defense all over the diamond. Baez has played center field primarily this year, but he also has spent time at shortstop, third base, and second base.

Javy Baez reached 10 years of MLB service time with a bang

On the day Baez reached the decade-long benchmark, June 17, he did so by enjoying a multi-home run game. Home runs in the fifth and seven innings helped propel the Tigers to a 7-3 record. This game marked Baez’s 12th multi-home run game of his career and second of the 2025 season.

Baez has always had a flare for the dramatic, and that has continued past his time with the Cubs. With Chicago, he was a World Series Champion, NLCS MVP, MVP runner up in 2018, two time All-Star, a silver slugger, and a gold glove award winner.