The biggest story of the Braves’ offseason will revolve around contract negotiations with Dansby Swanson. Keith Law projected the former No. 1 overall pick to sign a lucrative deal for 6-8 years at $30+ million per year. Swanson grew up in Atlanta and was born to play shortstop for the Atlanta Braves, but he will not sell himself short. He knows it’s a business.
“I wish it was that easy. It’s so hard to be completely transparent, it’s business…I learned to some degree from Freddie’s experience, but this is my ship that I’m running.” @LieutenantDans7 to @MikeBellATL @putemupcdukes on Free Agency #forthea
— DukesandBell929 (@DukesandBell929) November 3, 2022
Swanson had the best campaign of his career in a contract year. He earned All-Star and Gold Glove honors for the first time in his career, with the best offensive numbers of his career. Swanson is the unofficial captain of the club, which was desperately needed with Freddie Freeman departing. He won’t be cheap, but the Braves have other options if they believe his 2022 season was a flash in the pan.
This free agent shortstop class is unbelievable. And you can bet your last dollar the Braves will land one of Swanson, Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, or Xander Bogaerts. Chase has talked extensively about this, and I couldn’t agree more. There is no chance the Braves go into the 2023 season with Orlando Arica as the everyday option. With payroll expected to rise to the highest in club history, the Braves will spend big to sure up the position.
Correa is the best shortstop on the market. He’s unbelievable in the field and in the box, but most importantly, the former Astro is a menace in October. Turner is the best offensive shortstop in the game, even if he leaves a bit to be desired defensively. Bogaerts is no slouch either; all he’s done is average a .880 OPS over the last five seasons but is the worst defender out of the bunch. I would be surprised if the Braves didn’t sign one of these four players.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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