The Phillies were the first to strike this offseason, signing Trea Turner to a lucrative deal that keeps him in Philadelphia for the next decade. Then it was the Padres, who signed Xander Bogaerts to a shocking 11-year, $275 million contract. Now, only two remain — Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson — and it’s beginning to look bleak that the Braves sign either of them. There are more teams with a need at the position than there are high-quality solutions, which gives the players all the power.
There haven’t been many updates on the Braves front other than the rumor reported by Jon Heyman that the club declined a $140 million counteroffer from Swanson. That’s quite revealing, though.
Essentially, it tells me the Braves won’t be giving Swanson the highest offer on the market, and if the Georgia native returns to Atlanta this offseason, it’ll be because he wants to be here.
Swanson has several other teams interested in him, including the Red Sox and Cardinals, but it feels like his most likely landing spot outside of Atlanta is Chicago. His fiance, Mallory Pugh, lives in the city and plays for Red Stars. Moreover, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Cubs see Dansby Swanson as “their most realistic target at shortstop, assuming they don’t go big for [Carlos] Correa.”
There were reports from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that the Cubs were targeting Swanson and Bogaerts, but those were refuted by Rosenthal, even calling the idea “far-fetched.” Still, it seems the Cubs are the favorites. Swanson isn’t Bogaerts or Correa, but he brings veteran leadership, elite defense, and plenty of power. The Cubs could sign him and then use the leftover funds to upgrade the roster elsewhere. It’s looking more and more likely the Braves will have someone other than Dansby Swanson playing shortstop in 2023.
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