Chicago Cubs: This is the perfect lineup for the 2021 season

3. Javier Baez – SS

The Chicago Cubs were stunned to see how bad Javier Baez was in 2020. It was only the short 60 game season but nobody expected Baez to be that bad. It came after two breakout seasons where he was one of the best players in all of Major League Baseball. As good as he is at hitting, he is equally as good defensively if not better. He should bounce back in 2021 and if he does, third is the spot to have him in the batting order.

Baez has the potential to have big hits in clutch moments. He hits for power and contact so having him in the three-spot would really help the Cubs as long as he gets back to the Javier Baez that we know he can be. As underwhelming as he was in 2020, he still was a plus-WAR player which tells you how good he is capable of being. His defense alone makes him a worthy player to have in your lineup. Hitting third would depend on him and how good he comes out in 2021.

Baez is also looking to make as much money as he possibly can. Before the pandemic, he looked like he could end up being one of the highest-paid players in the National League but now we don’t know what is going to happen. He could play poorly again and not get as much money or he could even get traded so someone else can pay him. Either way, it would be good for Baez if he was able to come out and return to form in 2021.