Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, who needs them, when you can have Dansby Swanson.
So, after missing out on the top-3 free agent shortstops this offseason the Cubs are now left with one good option left to pursue in Swanson. And by the looks of it, the former Atlanta Braves shortstop was probably their number one target? I mean, the Cubs might have been a finalist for Bogaerts? They didn’t close to that offer though and we know the Padres were second for Turner, and we haven’t seen anything about what the Cubs’ offer was for Correa. The only thing we’re aware of is that Jed Hoyer is apparently allergic to offering 10+ year contracts.
That brings us to Swanson, who has always been projected to get the smallest of the four top shortstop deals this offseason and for the fewest years. Right in Hoyer’s wheelhouse I guess.
During the past few weeks the narrative has been fairly consistent around the Cubs and their search for a free agent shortstop. They were “in” on Correa, but weren’t expected to offer him the massive deal he got from the Giants and because of that Swanson has been seen as their realistic target, with many analysts considering the Cubs as the favorite to sign Swanson.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers tweeted about Swanson and the player’s thoughts about the Cubs.
Rogers was then asked if the Cubs actually have a good chance to sign Swanson.
During his appearance on the Waddle And Silvy Show on ESPN 1000, Rogers went on to say that he now puts the odds of Swanson leaving the Braves at 60%, while giving the Cubs a 50/50 shot at signing him, adding that they have as good of a chance to sign Swanson as any other team. Not sure on the math there, but point remains, Cubs are seen as one of the top teams for Swanson, who is going over his offers right now. Cool.
According to Rogers, if he had to predict what team Swanson would pick, it’d be the Cubs.
I doubt that Swanson opts to sign a short-term deal with opt-outs like Correa did last offseason simply because Swanson is coming off the best year of his career. He has to cash in now. The Dodgers are probably a team that would be interested in doing that, but again I don’t believe Swanson would want to risk it especially with the current market.
The Twins are also a team in the mix after seeing Correa leave to the Giants. If the Cubs get out-bid by them, well shit we’re in a worse spot than I thought. The Red Sox could use a shortstop, but they’ve been weird with money lately as well and have Trevor Story, who can slide over after Bogaerts signed with the Padres.
Of course, the Braves remain a possibility, but according to recent reports they haven’t even been in contact with Swanson much this offseason after offering him a $100 million deal before the 2022 season was over.
Only other thing to add is that Rogers thinks Swanson signs before Christmas. That was purely a guess though, and maybe the only hold up delaying Swanson’s decision is that he’s on his honeymoon after getting married this past weekend.
So Cubs fans, Dansby Swanson?
We’ll talk about him and more Cubs offseason stuff Wednesday at 8 p.m. CST on the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.
