Grading the Braves 4 biggest moves of the offseason so far

4) The Braves were right to not pay the Dansby Swanson price

Dansby Swanson’s days with the Braves are over, until he returns for an Old-Timer’s Day or comes back at the end to retire with them. He signed with the Chicago Cubs this offseason on a massive 7-year contract worth $177 million.

There is no question why Swanson left Atlanta for Chicago. The Braves were not going to pay that much for a shortstop who, quite frankly, isn’t quite at the level of some of the other big players at his position.

Atlanta already had Vaughn Grissom on the roster as a natural fit to replace Swanson. Saving money on Swanson and going to Grissom isn’t a bad idea whatsoever. The money they would have spent on Swanson can go toward other moves like extending Max Fried immediately.

There is no reason to believe Grissom won’t be able to replicate or even outmatch Swanson’s production at the plate in 2023. Sentimentality might have been the top reason to hold onto him. The Braves don’t seem to operate that way. They’re a smart baseball club. There is a reason why they are almost always contending.

The same way the Braves were able to replace Freddie Freeman with Matt Olson, they should be able to get similar numbers from Vaughn and at a cheaper price. Some fans won’t like it, but Grissom will have many asking, “Dansby Who?”

Grading the Braves’ decision to let Dansby Swanson walk: A-