The biggest story of the Braves offseason will revolve around the shortstop position and Dansby Swanson. Atlanta only really has one glaring hole on the roster, and it has to be addressed because there’s no reason to go into the 2023 campaign with Orlando Arcia or Vaughn Grissom playing every day. Alex Anthopoulos can go in several directions.
He could re-sign Swanson, and it’d make sense. He’s the sheriff in the clubhouse, the longest-tenured Brave, and playing the best ball of his career. Swanson is from the Atlanta area and was born to play shortstop for his hometown team. Still, AA could feel Swanson’s 2021 campaign, which was capped off with his first Gold Glove and All-Star honors, was a flash in the pan. Overpaying isn’t something the Braves are too keen on doing, so Anthopoulos could very well decide to break the bank and sign one of Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, or Xander Bogaerts, who will all command more than Swanson.
AA could also turn to the trade market to fill the void, much like he did last winter with Matt Olson. Willy Adames could be a potential candidate in that scenario. He’s just 27 years old, comes with a projected $9.2 million salary in 2023, is under team control until 2025, and has slashed .256/.325/.483/ with 51 home runs and 57 doubles over two seasons with the Brewers. That option isn’t as likely as signing one of the free agents because the Braves farm system is depleted following the Olson deal, but it’s certainly a possibility.
“The Mariners sign Dansby Swanson to a six-year, $154 million deal and move him to second base, leaving J.P. Crawford at shortstop.”
First of all, if Swanson signs a deal like that, it’ll be with the Braves. The only reason he leaves Atlanta is if he signs a much more lucrative deal. Secondly, Swanson is arguably the best defensive shortstop in the game, so I love that this prediction from Bowden has him moving positions for *checks notes* J.P. Crawford…? It’s all around a hilarious prediction, but Bowden did preface the piece by saying the predictions were ‘silly’ and boy was this one silly.
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David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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