Star free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson is finalizing a deal with the Cubs, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman on Saturday. ESPN’s Jeff Passan and NBC Chicago’s David Kaplan were first to report the deal. The club has not yet commented.
Swanson grew up in Atlanta and was acquired by the Braves in December 2016, just six months after the D-backs had taken him with the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. The 28-year-old veteran has served as Atlanta’s starting shortstop since making his MLB debut on Aug. 17, 2016.
Swanson positioned himself for a hefty payday as he ranked second among all MLB shortstops with a 6.4 fWAR (FanGraphs’ Wins Above Replacement Model) this year, trailing only the Mets’ Francisco Lindor (6.8). Swanson also ranked 11th among all MLB players with this mark.
As Swanson’s offensive game has improved over the past two years, he has established himself as one of the game’s top players. He hit a career-high 27 homers in 2021, and he ranked fourth among all shortstops with 25 homers this past season.
Swanson has produced a respectable .768 OPS over the past two seasons. But his glove remains his greatest asset, leading the NL with 21.4 Defensive Wins Above Average, per FanGraph’s model this year. Lindor ranked second among all other shortstops with 16.1.
Swanson’s 21 Outs Above Average ranked second among all qualified MLB players, trailing only Tigers second baseman Jonathan Schoop (27). The Cubs’ Nico Hoerner and Lindor ranked second among all MLB shortstops with 13 OAA.
While helping the Braves win five straight division crowns and the 2021 World Series title, he became the team’s leader. Rookies Michael Harris II and Vaughn Grissom revealed the shortstop is known as “The Sheriff” within the Atlanta clubhouse. He has also proven to be durable while playing all but just two games over the past three seasons. He missed both of those two games in 2021. He was the only MLB player to start 162 games this past season.