You both very well know the issue isn’t that Baine is peace oriented, or that he’s necissarily friends with Anduin … its that those two things are all he’s ever allowed to be. The “lapdog” comment is honestly harsh, but pretty accurate to what the writers have done with his character. Functionally, just like Hamuul with Malf, Baine has been turned in an accessory for Anduin. When the hell was the last time his characterization took precedents over his need to be a Token Good Horde plot device? “Maybe” in As Our Father’s Before Us? Probably that far back tbh.
On top of this you have who he’s replacing. Cairne. A character who was also peace oriented, but was able to counterbalance that internally with knowing when and how to use force. He was also a character that generally was allowed to stand independently, with his worth not being heavily defined by another character (let alone one on the Alliance). Baine has none of this balance. None of this strength. None of that nuance that can make a Tauren High Chieftain truly great. And he’s LONG overdue to get it, and it honestly might be a bit too late.
And this is coming from a diehard Horde player who conceptually likes Baine, but also recognizes his characterization has been very mismanaged. Its also not hard to see that many Alliance players seem to only like him because he’s been made so convenient for their stories. Like, truly, Baine’s intro into the SLs is him apparently being so worthless that he’s pooped out by the Jailor. They abducted him to trash him … how are Tauren and Horde players supposed to take pride int that? He needs some serious growth in SLs here, especially while away from Anduin.