Braves’ first offer to Dansby Swanson revealed

The Braves want to keep Dansby Swanson. Their first attempt to do so has been revealed as MLB’s Winter Meetings open up in San Diego.

Dansby Swanson is a Georgia boy who has played seven years of his career with the hometown Atlanta Braves, so it’s hard to really believe he would consider moving on, even if he has family connections to Chicago through his fiancée, Mallory Pugh.

The Braves appear to be the front-runner to re-sign the 2022 Gold Glover, but he’s not shutting down outside options. He’s meeting with at least the Philadelphia Phillies.

That doesn’t mean the Phillies are real contenders to land Swanson, and he’d be foolish to at least not hear out outside offers. But it is worth noting.

The Braves’ initial offer to Swanson has officially been reported on.

Braves opening contract offer to star free agent shortstop Dansby Swanson revealed

Bob Nightengale reported that the Atlanta Braves have offered Swanson $100 million, but he’s seeking 40 percent more than that.

"“Swanson is the fallback plan for several of the teams vying for Turner, Bogaerts and Correa, with the Atlanta Braves still making him their top priority. They have offered about $100 million to keep Swanson, but he is seeking at least $140 million, and neither side has budged. If Swanson doesn’t return, executives predict that he could wind up with the St. Louis Cardinals.”"

Nightengale didn’t give details on the length of the contract offer which is crucial to determine whether such a deal would be good or bad for Atlanta and whether or not it’s a competitive offer. Other teams may be willing to offer him more but on an elongated basis.

The Braves have made incredibly savvy financial decisions with homegrown stars, but Swanson could be one of their first big-money spends. Austin Riley is their largest, on a 10-year, $212 million deal that keeps him in Atlanta’s control through 2033. Riley has a 4.3 162-game average WAR, Swanson has 2.8. A contract that paces with Riley’s accounting for the diminished WAR would equate to about $138 million over 6-7 years with an AAV of about $14 million.

So, the $140 million Swanson is seeking feels fair.

It’s important to remember an opening offer doesn’t mean that’s a final offer. Far from it. The Braves are opening the market for Swanson and he’ll explore other options. Being a hometown kid, it’s reasonable to expect he’ll likely give the Braves an option to match his best offer.

But will he have to take a hometown discount? And more important, would he be willing?