Will you look at that, the Chicago Cubs actually did something. Well, almost, as the Cubs are reportedly finalizing a deal with free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Swanson got married last weekend and was on his honeymoon this past week. Reports have indicated that Swanson's market included the Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Dodgers were most recently included into the mix.
Swanson's deal with the Cubs is reportedly worth $177 million over seven years.
That's an average annual value of about $25.3 million. Swanson's deal is now the second largest in Cubs history, behind Jason Heyward's eight-year, $184 million contract.
The Cubs are certainly making an effort to sure up their defense, as the addition of Swanson will move Nico Hoerner over to second base in 2023. Meanwhile, Cody Bellinger will be patrolling center field.
Listen, I have my reservations about Swanson, but the Cubs are getting a good player that makes the team better than it was before without him. He's tapped into his power swing since the start of 2020 and Swanson he's been a great defensive shortstop. While the Cubs did not go after the other top shortstops from this free agent class, there is no doubt that they could not exit the offseason without one of them and not call it a failure. Signing Swanson avoids the failure tag for Jed Hoyer and the Cubs front office, but there is still more work to be done if the team is actually serious about being a playoff contender in 2023, which they have said is their intention.
Swanson's seven-year contract includes a full no-trade clause according to Joel Sherman. There are no opt-outs.
One thing Swanson will bring to the Cubs lineup is the ability to crush fastballs. That goes back to the previous core that had issues handling velocity. Swanson on the other hand has found success in that department.
There are obviously concerns about how Swanson's bat will age because of his high strikeout rate, but there are reasons to be optimistic. He's 28-years-old and maybe the last three seasons are more indicative of his future performance than his first few years in the big leagues with the Braves.
Swanson has slashed .265/.324/.451, with a 109 wRC+ since 2020. He hit 27 home runs in 2021, 25 in 2022 and was on pace to hit more than 25 home runs in 2020, when he clubbed 10 home runs in 60 games.
The Cubs desperately needed to do something this offseason and although Swanson wasn't the most popular among fans, the team is better with him. Again, they have to add more offense because without additional acquisitions to the lineup, the offseason would still be a disappointment.
That's discussed on the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast.
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