The Dansby Swanson saga is reaching a boiling point it seems. We’ve already seen Trea Turner sign for $300 million, becoming the first of the four All-Star shortstops to come off the market. In recent days, we’ve also heard more about the Dansby Swanson situation. Jon Heyman reported a rumor that the Braves rejected Swanson’s $140 million counteroffer, which I assume was over six years. Mark Bowman also informed us Swanson reached out to Alex Anthopoulos, but that it did not lead to any progress in negotiations.
At this point, I’m much less confident the Braves bring back their All-Star shortstop. It’s still a possibility, especially if Atlanta is where he desires to spend the remainder of his career, but it doesn’t look like the Braves will be the top offer on the table. Before the offseason, I would say most national media pundits believed Swanson would be back in Atlanta, but they’re slowly starting to predict other things based one what they are hearing, and Ben Verlander is the latest talking head to suggest Swanson will sign elsewhere.
Add Ben Verlander to the list of guys skeptical Dansby re-signs pic.twitter.com/x0968aIe8N
— SportsTalkATL.com (@SportsTalkATL) December 7, 2022
In the video, Verlander says he hasn’t heard any concrete information suggesting Swanson is leaning one way or another. That’s far from a shock considering the way the Braves do business. But Verlander did say he changed his opinion based on what he’s hearing from other members of the media that are closer to the situation.
I want Dansby Swanson back in a Braves uniform. I’ve made that well known for years now. With that being said, I do understand the hesitancy in making him the highest paid player on the team. Swanson is coming off a career-year — one in which is well deserving of the numbers being floated around. However, before last season, giving him this kind of money would have seemed egregious. If the Braves aren’t convinced he can perform at this level over the duration of his next contract, it’s understandable for them to balk at his price tag and figure out another solution, whether that be their internal options — Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia — or some other avenue.
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Photo: Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire
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