3 reasons the Braves chose Vaughn Grissom over Dansby Swanson

Vaughn Grissom’s potential is too great to ignore

2022 was likely an anomaly offensively for Dansby Swanson. The advanced metrics suggest as much. While Swanson is a winning player, he is not worth $177 million, even in this market, for a competitive team like the Braves.

The Cubs are trying to acquire talent. Atlanta already possesses it.

Grissom is just one of a number of answers at the position for the Braves. He is by far the most likely to succeed.

In the 41 games Grissom played last season, he had a 121 wRC+. This was higher than Swanson, albeit in a smaller sample size. Yet, FanGraphs projects this to continue, and assumes Grissom will finish next season with a 111 wRC+.

If FanGraphs is proven correct, then Grissom could very well finish the 2023 campaign with better offensive numbers than Swanson. Atlanta should expect to take a step back on the basepaths and defensively, as those are two department Swanson excelled at. Grissom is also still learning the nuances of the position.

Still, the fact Grissom is projected to outplay Swanson in any department, let alone at the plate, makes this decision worthwhile for the Braves. It may not be a seamless Carlos-Correa-to-Jeremy-Peña transition as the Astros witnessed last season, but Atlanta would take half of that.