Interesting info:
Given Baez's play of late, you certainly could definitely argue that he is the best shortstop in baseball at this very moment in time. Not only is he slashing .315/.356/.640 with nine home runs, 22 RBIs and 23 runs through 26 games as the Cubs' cleanup hitter, but he's putting on a show on the basepaths and in the field. Heading into Monday's team off-day, Baez had a 154 wRC+, which means he's performing 54 percent better offensively than league average.
The reason for considering a move back to second has always been the defensive aspect. Baez is strong at short, but is even better at second. Russell is one of the better defensive shortstops around. All of that said, Baez is currently tied for second among MLB shortstops with five Defensive Runs Saved -- one behind MLB leader Nick Ahmed (six). Baez is sixth in the National League with 1.8 Defensive Runs, per FanGraphs.
