2 former Braves failing miserably and 1 thriving on their new teams

Former Braves SS Dansby Swanson has been a star with the Cubs

Despite the optimism from the majority of the Braves fanbase that the club would be able to keep shortstop Dansby Swanson, the free agent market got way too lucrative for Alex Anthopolous to make a deal that would work for both sides. In the end, Swanson signed a seven-year, $177 million pact with the Chicago Cubs.

16 games into his career of playing home games at Wrigley Field, Swanson has been worth every penny for the Cubs and has been a massive part behind Chicago’s hot 11-6 start to the 2023 season.

Swanson is currently slashing .333/.432/.381 on the season and already has a 1.1 WAR on the year. Though Swanson hasn’t been hitting for power or, strangely, driving in many runs with no homers and just five RBI to his credit, he’s tied for second on the team in runs scored (15), has three stolen bases and leads the team among players with at least 10 games played in on-base percentage.

For what it’s worth, the Braves have been just fine without Swanson as Orlando Arcia was white-hot before suffering a hairline fracture in his wrist and Vaughn Grissom has come up from Triple-A and continues to be a plus asset, particularly at the plate, in the limited time since getting the call-up.

But the former Brave in Swanson is clearly getting it done in a big way with his new club.