Dansby Swanson
Dansby Swanson’s impact in the 2022 season has been undeniably great. There is zero doubt that the Braves would not even be close to the position they are in now, threatening a 100-win season, without the 5.8 fWAR player.
It’s hard to imagine that a player who was an all-star this year and is 3rd in outs above average really has anything to prove, but Dansby’s past few seasons raise a sea of questions about the legitimacy of his 2022 and the ability to reproduce this production for years to come.
One of the largest debates surrounding the Braves this season has been Swanson’s contract extension talks. With the extensive work the Braves’ front-office has done to secure the core of players for many years, many wonder when the Braves’ shortstop will receive (or accept) his extension.
While many believe that Dansby is a key part of this team and should be the starting shortstop in 2023 no matter what, there are plenty of people that believe over-paying Dansby — a possibility based on the bar some of the other free agent shortstops (Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, and possibly Carlos Correa) could set for the market — would be a grave mistake.
Many have estimated that Dansby could be in the market for around 20 million dollars a year or even more, a hefty price for any player.
AA has shown he is not going to overpay for a player no matter their significance to the team. While I would be shocked if Dansby walks, there is always a possibility AA could decide the price Dansby is asking for is too high and move on, which becomes easier with the emergence of Vaughn Grissom who is a natural shortstop.
Overpaying could be an issue for the Braves, who though they have done a great job extending many players, still have a few more to extend, like Max Fried.
Though this debate serves the purpose of evaluating whether Dansby’s 2022 season has been enough to justify an expensive contract extension, a great 2022 postseason could negate all of that and force the Braves to shell out the money Dansby is asking for, no matter how high it may seem.
One other interesting thing to note is that Dansby has the same agent that Freddie Freeman had, which could play a part in contract talks.
Dansby has become a leader for the Braves and his impact would be surely missed if he walked in the off-season, but he might need a big postseason to prove he is worth the money.