Cubs Favorites to Sign Dansby Swanson

You can definitely take these with a grain of salt, but as always it’s fun to debate what any prediction can mean for the current state of things and hey these insiders do have people telling them things. So, Dansby Swanson to the Cubs? Jon Heyman thinks so…again as things stand right now a few days before the winter meetings begin Sunday.

Heyman wrote his predictions for the top-nine free agents, giving two destinations for each player. We all know the Cubs are involved in the shortstop market, but expectations are a bit tempered as of now because people within the industry don’t think Jed Hoyer will go all in for the top one or two shortstops. Yet, the Cubs have been strongly connected to each of the four top free agent shortstops and Heyman thinks they’re current favorites to sign Swanson.

Via the New York Post.

If rumors are true that the Braves didn’t accede to his $140 million counter — the same deal Trevor Story and Javier Baez got — it’s obvious why some Atlanta people are pessimistic. Still, he is from Georgia.
Favorites: 1. Cubs; 2. Braves. 

Swanson will enter the 2023 season as a 29-year-old coming off a career-best year. He slugged 25 home runs and posted a 116 wRC+ that coupled with great defense at shortstop led to an impressive 6.4 fWAR in 162 games with the Braves. In 2021, he had a solid campaign, hitting 27 home runs and finishing the year with a 3.4 fWAR. He played in all 60 regular season games in 2020, when he had a 115 wRC+ and 2.3 fWAR. So hey, you can definitely be on the optimistic side of things when it comes to Swanson. He’s someone who should be able to stay at shortstop for most or all of his next contract, will play good defense at a premium position and Swanson certainly has good power for a middle infielder. There is a lot to like, so I’m not going to completely shit on the possibility of the Cubs signing him.

We should be excited that the Cubs are being considered as a favorite for one of the top free agents at an important position. Yet, I can’t lie and say that I wish the Cubs were considered favorites for one of the other three shortstops. I mean c’mon, when you compare the pros and cons for each player, Swanson is clearly a distant fourth in the rankings.

That isn’t to say the Cubs aren’t in on those other three guys. As a matter of fact, in the same New York Post article, Heyman lists the Cubs as one of the teams also pursuing Xander Bogaerts. The free agent shortstop, who has played for the Red Sox, has been linked to the Cubs by Heyman before, right after the GM meetings, and ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote this week how the Cubs are one of Bogaerts’ suitors. So, there’s some smoke there, too with Bogaerts and the Cubs.

However, you can’t ignore that the early narrative around the Cubs is that they don’t necessarily want to offer anyone a huge contract in the 6-8 year range. And because of that it’s very easy to see why plenty of folks believe they’ll eventually go with the guy who will cost them the least; Dansby Swanson.

Back in November, MLB Trade Rumors predicted Swanson signing with the Cubs for $154 million over seven years.

So, are you excited about Dansby Swanson potentially becoming the new starting shortstop for the Cubs or do you want them to go all out for Carlos Correa, Trea Turner or Bogaerts? Let us know in the comments!

More offseason discussion on this week’s Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.