The Atlanta Braves have some serious offseason questions, but none is bigger than if they plan to bring back shortstop Dansby Swanson.
Dansby Swanson made a major leap in his walk year, earning a spot on the NL All-Star team and slashing .277/.329/.447 with 25 home runs and a career-high 96 RBIs. He’s one of the best shortstops available in a market which emphasizes that position.
Swanson will join the likes of Trea Turner and Carlos Correa as the best shortstops available. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has stated the team’s desire to keep ‘the sheriff’ in town, if at all possible.
Still, it’s a possibility Swanson’s negotiations could go similarly to Freddie Freeman’s from last winter. Atlanta fans hope that’s not the case. Per MLB.com’s Justin Toscano, when asked about Swanson’s looming free agency, Anthopoulos was non-commital:
“Asked about his confidence level in getting a deal done with Dansby Swanson, Alex Anthopoulos didn’t reveal anything, except praising Swanson for being a great teammate and leader. Anthopoulos said the reports that have been out about that situation are true,” Toscano wrote.
If the Braves had to replace Dansby Swanson, who would be at the top of their list?
Dansby Swanson replacements: Braves sign Carlos Correa
The only way Atlanta would start a bidding war for Correa would be if he were open to another short-term contract.
Overall, linking Correa and the Braves seems unwise this early on. Correa opted out of his deal with the Minnesota Twins with two years remaining in hopes of securing a long-term contract which evaded him last offseason. Why would he sign on with Atlanta?
The Braves do offer more potential as a contender long-term than the likes of Minnesota. Houston won’t take him back, if only because of the potential of Jeremy Peña. And teams like the Cubs aren’t about to give Correa $300 million-plus coming off a down year by his standards.
So, if Correa runs out of options like he did in 2021, and the Braves lose Swanson, then perhaps this could be a match. But for now, I’ll file it under ‘unlikely’ as compared to these next two matches.