Atlanta Braves: Best Option at Shortstop Now That Dansby Swanson is Gone
By Seth Carter
What will the Atlanta Braves do to fill the biggest hole on the roster entering 2023, now that Dansby Swanson has signed with the Cubs?
The Atlanta Braves lost their star shortstop in free agency to the Chicago Cubs. You can read all about that here.
Now it is time to focus on how the Braves will fill the biggest void on the roster as they look to defend the NL East title against some worthy competition.
Is Shortstop the Biggest Hole Left on the Braves’ Roster?
Yes.
Many people point to leftfield but the Braves have two veteran players who are prime Comeback Player of the Year candidates.
Eddie Rosario finished top 18 in MVP voting in 2019 and 2020.
Say what you want about Marcell Ozuna and how you feel about him, but he’s been a two-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger winner, and still hits the ball as hard as anyone.
With Swanson gone, the Braves are left with Orlando Arcia and Vaughn Grissom as the internal options at shortstop. It is the biggest hole.
Grissom and Arcia to Compete?
Alex Anthopoulos recently appeared on High Heat with Christopher Russo and discussed the options should Dansby sign with another team (prior to the announcement he had signed with the Cubs.)
"“Right now on the roster, we’ve got Orlando Arcia and Vaughn Grissom and we think they can handle the position. If we don’t do anything from the outside, whether that’s sign someone or trade someone, those guys will compete. No one will get handed that job. “"
Orlando Arcia has done it before. AA likes Grissom’s long-term upside but knows there will be growing pains. This is a worst-case scenario for the Braves in 2023. he went on to acknowledge that they still want to get better and that an addition at shortstop would be the way to do that.
"“That being said we still want to get better. One way to get better is with that shortstop position. So, if there’s a way to add from the outside, whether that’s free agency or trade, we are still going to be open to doing that.”"
Some of the names mentioned as potential trade options leave a lot to be desired. A trade for Willy Adames seems more and more unlikely. Outside of that, names like Taylor Walls and Isiah Kiner-Falefa keep popping up. The trade market looks pretty rough since the Braves have thinned out their farm system.
Bring in a Veteran SS via Free Agency?
They could bring in a veteran player like Jose Iglesias or Elvis Andrus, but are they really that much better than the potential of Arcia and Grissom?
Iglesias’ defense is not what it used to be and he has zero power. He offers a career .279 average. I’ll take Arcia and Grissom.
Elvis Andrus has posted -26 defensive runs saved at shortstop since 2019.
On the flip side, Arcia has a career rDRS of +9 at SS.
Andrus has a career OPS+ of 87. Iglesias has a career OPS+ of 88. Arcia rounds out the group with an OPS+ of 75.
At the same time, Arcia finished 2022 with the highest OPS+ of the three players.
Unless the Braves can pull off an eyebrow-raiser like bringing in Adames, I think the internal options of Arcia and Grissom are the way to go.
Next. 8 Braves Who Could Win Comeback Player of the Year in '23. dark
What do you think the Braves should do at shortstop now that Dansby is gone? Let us know in the comments.