A Braves trade package to acquire Dansby Swanson’s replacement

Putting together a trade package for the Atlanta Braves to land Dansby Swanson’s replacement.

With recent news coming out that the Atlanta Braves may have to prepare for life without Dansby Swanson, it’s just about that time to put together a trade package for his replacement.

But first, some back story. Swanson, 28, is a free agent for the first time in his career and finds his name thrown into all of the shortstop rumors alongside Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner.

Industry-wide speculation is that he would’ve re-signed with the Braves already if he was fully committed to coming back, a point that is difficult to argue with.

On the trade market, there are very few names of interest at the shortstop position. Far and away the biggest piece that could be moved is Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames.

Now, Adames is far from a lock to be moved. Many armchair GMs on social media expect him to be moved along with Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff but to this point, there has been no firm evidence that Milwaukee is headed for a roster teardown.

With that being said, the Braves may have to part with some serious talent in order to pry Adames out of Milwaukee’s hands. Let’s throw a package together that can help both sides.

Braves: A trade package to land Dansby Swanson’s replacement

I’ll get right to it, here’s the package I put together thanks to Baseball Trade Values and their trade simulator. It’s not a perfect method to put together deals, but on paper this specific trade makes sense for both the Braves and Brewers.

BTV has the Braves total value at 41.30 and the Brewers at 42.20. Beyond what the site says, this move would fill holes on both teams’ rosters.

Starting with Atlanta, the Braves would be landing a 27-year-old, slick-fielding, power-hitting shortstop. Adames hit 31 home runs last year for the Brewers, posting 4.4 bWAR and an OPS+ of 112. He is under team control through 2024 which is another plus for any acquiring team.

In Ian Anderson, the Brewers would be getting a pitcher who fell from grace last year. While he is still just 24 years old, he posted an ERA of 5.00 and an ERA+ of 81, ultimately getting him surpassed on the organizational depth chart by one of the other strong pitchers on the Braves.

Tarnok, the Braves No. 6 prospect, is another promising right-handed starter who limits walks and throws a ton of strikeouts. He spent the majority of 2022 in the minors, going 4-3 over 25 appearances (23 starts) split between AA, AAA and the majors.

Elder, 23, would be the centerpiece of this deal. He has been electric at every step of the way since his being drafted by the Braves in 2021. The righty even made his big league debut in 2022, posting a 3.17 ERA over 54 innings, primarily out of the rotation. He would represent an immediate upgrade to an already strong Brewers rotation.

Then there’s d’Arnaud, who would be the perfect replacement for Omar Narvaez behind the plate for the Crew. The 33-year-old will be in the second year of his two-year, $16MM deal with Atlanta next year but it comes with a 2024 club option that the Brewers could pick up if he continues to mash the way he did last year in Atlanta.