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After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Atlanta Braves, Dansby Swanson is now a Chicago Cub, though he did try desperately to reach an agreement to remain with his hometown team.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos told The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz that Swanson “was willing to take a lot less” to remain in Atlanta, but the gap between Swanson’s reported $140 million counterproposal and the Cubs’ $177 million offer “was too great.”
When Schultz asked why the Braves “didn’t want Dansby Swanson,” Anthopoulos responded:
“Wow, strong question, strong comment. I don’t agree with that. He got an incredible contract from a great organization, and we weren’t close to it. That’s what he was worth when he hit the open market. He was an incredible player for us, in the clubhouse and on the field. We’re always trying to manage short term and long term. The better players become, the closer they get to free agency, the harder it is to keep these guys. But I will say this: Dansby made every effort to find a way to stay in Atlanta. We had conversations in the summer. He was willing to take a lot less than what he got. That’s important. But we have to manage in our minds short term and long term, and we have to make sure we have enough payroll to allocate a full 26. He deserves everything he got, but at a certain point, it doesn’t make sense for us. It’s hard because you’re losing a phenomenal human being and a phenomenal player.”
Swanson made his MLB debut with the Braves in 2016 and has emerged as one of the best shortstops in baseball since. Last season, he slashed .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 18 stolen bases in 162 games, earning his first All-Star Game selection and first Gold Glove award.
The Braves, of course, would have liked to retain Swanson, but Anthopoulos is right in saying the club must be wise in what contracts it gives out so it can continue to field a contending team in the future.
Additionally, Atlanta has a solid replacement for Swanson in top prospect Vaughn Grissom. He appeared in 41 games for the Braves last season, hitting .291/.353/.440 with five home runs and 18 RBI.
While the Cubs may not be a true playoff contender in 2023, the signing of Swanson signals that the team is slowly working its way back to contending for a playoff spot. Chicago also signed outfielder Cody Bellinger and pitcher Jameson Taillon this winter, two solid additions for a team that has to contend with the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central.
The Cubs finished the 2022 campaign third in the NL Central with a 74-88 record. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2020 and haven’t won a title since 2016.