Braves Rumors: Brewers trade targets, Ozzie Albies panic meter, Dansby Swanson
By Mark Powell
Braves Rumors: Dansby Swanson second guessing
It’s easy to second guess letting Dansby Swanson walk this offseason, especially considering his recent success in Chicago. Swanson has proven Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins right so far this season, with the highest fWAR among all National League shortstops. He’s among the frontrunners to start at shortstop for the NL in the All-Star Game, and for good reason.
However, as mentioned in my column yesterday, this does not necessarily mean Atlanta made a mistake by letting him walk. With Swanson’s money, the Braves were able to trade for and extend Sean Murphy, and sign Spencer Strider to an extension. Orlando Arcia has been just fine at shortstop, as well. As I noted, there’s no guarantee Anthopoulos could’ve made this moves without Swanson’s contract off the books.
"“Anthopoulos only has so much money to work with from Liberty Media, and had he signed Swanson, there’s a very good chance Murphy would be in St. Louis or elsewhere. So, no, the Braves shouldn’t regret letting Swanson walk. They are a better team because of it, especially considering those decisions. Anthopoulos is among the best executives in the sport because he always has a backup plan, and a long-term vision. Swanson wasn’t in that vision.”"
It is possible for Swanson to prove his value (and therefore Anthopoulos wrong for not submitting an earlier improved contract offer), but for the Braves to still have made the right call in letting him walk. Right now, that’s where things stand.