Where will ex-Cubs Bryant, Schwarber, Rizzo be playing next season?
Javier Baez got paid.
Will Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber and Anthony Rizzo follow suit?
The trio of former Cubs have to wait until Major League Baseball's work stoppage ends, but Baez was able to cash in before the owners locked out the players Dec. 2.
In a transaction that certainly got the White Sox's attention, Baez signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Tigers two days before the game went dark.
After coming together under new manager AJ Hinch in the second half of last season, Detroit is determined to push the Sox in the AL Central next year.
"We want winners here," Hinch told reporters. "We want to win. There's a ton of interest in coming to Detroit by a variety of players and that's because people are aware that our trajectory is going in the right direction."
Baez was a key cog for the Cubs for eight seasons before being traded to the Mets last July for Pete Crow-Armstrong, a promising 19-year-old outfield prospect.
New York let Baez exit as a free agent at the end of the season and the star infielder will try to keep hitting home runs and cut down on the strikeouts with the Tigers.
As for Bryant, Schwarber and Rizzo, all three have varying degrees of interest.
Let's start with Bryant, who the Cubs traded to the Giants last summer for a pair of minor leaguers - outfielder Alex Canario and pitcher Caleb Kilian.
A multitude of teams are pursuing the versatile defender, and Bryant should eventually wind up signing a contract that could be a bit more than Baez's deal with Detroit.
Returning to San Francisco appeared to be a strong possibility, but it's looking like the Giants are going to be content with having Bryant for two months and the playoffs.
Bryant homered in his first game with San Francisco and was solid in August. That changed in September, when the versatile defender hit .237 and had only 1 homer and 8 RBI in 93 at-bats before getting hot (8-for-17, 1 HR, 2 RBI) in the playoffs.
The Giants might be out on Bryant, but the Angels, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Mariners, Rockies and Astros are rumored to be interested.
Schwarber did quite well for himself after being non-tendered by the Cubs following the 2020 season.
In only 113 combined games with the Nationals and Red Sox last season, the left-handed slugger hit 32 homers and drove in 71 runs while slashing .266/.374/.554.
Reportedly looking for a three-year, $60 million contract, Schwarber could return to Boston or sign with the Marlins or Phillies.
On July 29, Rizzo was traded to the Yankees for a pair of minor leaguers, outfielder Kevin Alcantara and pitcher Alexander Vizcaino.
A free agent, the 32-year-old Rizzo has slipped a bit with the bat, but he's still drawing interest from the Yankees and Padres.
If the Braves are unable to bring free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman back, Rizzo would be a good fit in Atlanta.