The Atlanta Braves were unable to bring Dansby Swanson back to the organization during MLB free agency, with the star shortstop agreeing to a lucrative contract with the Chicago Cubs. According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, Swanson was open to taking āa lot lessā money in order to remain in Atlanta, but Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves were still unwilling to meet his lowered asking price. After losing out on Freddie Freeman in a similar fashion last offseason, it seems the Braves once again fumbled the bag with Swanson.
Via Schultz on Twitter:
āDansby Swanson and Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos spoke multiple times. Swanson would've taken āa lot lessā to remain a Brave and stay in Atlanta. But the gap was still too wide.ā
Schultz indicates that despite some frequent communications between Swanson and Anthopoulos, and the shortstop's willingness to take a big pay cut to stay in Atlanta, the organization still wouldn't improve its offer. Of course, this feels oddly similar to the situation last year with Freddie Freeman, who had long expressed his desire to return to Atlanta before ultimately agreeing to join the Dodgers.
Instead, Swanson signed a seven-year, $177 million to join the Chicago Cubs, a team he also feels he has an emotional connection to through his late grandfather, who was a lifelong fan. It's unclear how much less Swanson would have been willing to take to remain in Atlanta, but it didn't seem to impact the Braves' decision to part ways in the end.
Last year in Atlanta, Swanson had his best-ever season in MLB. In a 5.7 WAR campaign, Dansby Swanson slashed .277.329/.447 with 25 home runs, 96 RBI, 99 runs, and 18 stolen bases. He made his first-ever All-Star Game and won the Gold Glove for his work on defense.
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