How might the Atlanta Braves approach the 2022-23 offseason?
1) Dansby Swanson or not, the Atlanta Braves will be big suitors in the loaded shortstop market.
Braves fans who love Dansby Swanson should feel confident about his return. They should also acknowledge the very real possibility that the Braves, at least temporarily, explore the option of signing one of the other talented names on the market.
The top-tier names leaving their respective teams this offseason consist of Trae Turner, Carlos Correa, Dansby Swanson, and Xander Bogaerts. All of them are between the ages 28-30 and will command similar market deals, though there is one that sticks out above the rest: Carlos Correa.
Correa is significant in a few regards, but most notably in that he has the highest career wRC+ out of all the names at 130, has the highest career OPS+ at 129, and has the highest career rWAR at 39.5.
He also finished only .3 rWAR behind Swanson this season, who had the best year of his career. On top of all this, he is also the youngest of the four superstars, a whole 200 days younger than Swanson.
This is significant because the Braves were reported to have checked in on Correa when he was a free agent in 2021.
According to MLB sources the agent for free-agent shortstop Carlos Correa has heard from the @Yankees, @RedSox, @Dodgers, @Cubs and @Braves and was offered five years/$160 million by the Astros last month.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) December 2, 2021
Correa also happens to be a Gold and even Platinum Glove award winner in 2021, something that none of the other players, even Swanson, have accomplished, though each is an elite defender at their position.
If the Braves find a deal they like for Correa or another shortstop, each of which has had a better offensive career than Swanson, it is entirely possible that they pull the trigger. However, Swanson’s offensive production has taken a jump this year, his defense rivals Correa’s, and there are other reasons for the Braves to be highly interested in bringing Swanson back.
Why are the Braves most likely to bring Swanson back?
Swanson and the Braves front office have expressed mutual interest in having him sign a long-term contract with the team. According to Justin Toscano, the Braves beat writer for the AJC, Alex Anthopoulos confirmed that the reports on the situation suggesting that Swanson wants to return and that the Braves would love to have him back are true.
He’s also on record calling Swanson a “great teammate and leader,” as well as saying that he’d “love to have all [the Braves free agents] back.”
It’s clear that the Braves’ locker room feels the same way. Charlie Morton expressed his interest in retaining Swanson when he claimed that it was “hard to watch [Swanson’s] final at-bat knowing it could be his last,” and manager Brian Snitker has claimed that he hopes to get to work with Dansby again.
Thus, the justifications for bringing Swanson back may be more than statistical.
As an aside, Swanson’s agent is Casey Close, the same agent as Freddie Freeman, whose Braves departure story was less than sunshine and rainbows. It’s entirely possible that the Braves will look to rectify their business relationship with Close by offering Swanson a generous deal.
There are still other positions that need to be addressed, however, and each will have their own major impact on the Braves season.