Dansby Swanson caught up with Adam Weinrib (FanSided, The Baseball Insiders) on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings and Pepsi. Dansby and his wife, USWNT star Mallory Swanson, are showcasing their matchday rituals and competitive spirit with Buffalo Wild Wings all World Cup long.
The so-called "biggest day in USMNT history" didn't align with Dansby Swanson's schedule the way he'd hoped. Friday at 1:20 p.m. CT? That is — and always has been — Cubs game day at Wrigley Field. Thankfully, Swanson didn't have much of a reason to linger on missing the match; his Cubbies were preoccupied with battering the Blue Jays 16-2.
Swanson's MLB travels have taken him to two iconic (sweet) homes: Chicago's friendly confines and Atlanta's suburban pressure cooker. He's battled soccer-like crowds in Latin America and chanting, whooping groups in Milwaukee and Flushing — and his most intense regular-season rivalry series of all was the season-shifter against the Mets at the end of the 2022 season, when everything broke right for the Braves.
These days, while the crowd energy may be temporarily tempered, the main goal is still exceedingly clear, as the White Sox rise within his own city's walls and the Brewers macine lurks atop the division yet again.
The trade deadline is just a month away, and Swanson knows his Cubs need to accrue as much pitching depth as possible to steal the headlines back.
Dansby Swanson wants pitching, pitching and more pitching at Cubs' trade deadline
"It doesn't matter who you are or how much pitching you have, that's always a definite to me. You can never have enough," Swanson told FanSided.
Somehow, the Cubs' dire rotation situation has only worsened since Swanson first spoke on it; Edward Cabrera ended up carted off the field at Citi Field in the middle of a win earlier this week, and young starter Ben Brown popped up on the IL with a neck strain no one noticed until it was too late. Even Matthew Boyd's return and a quick David Peterson trade couldn't render his judgment irrelevant. Peterson's a helpful rental and a potential patch; he's not a long-term solution, nor is he an obvious upgrade from their current group (though his ERA/FIP disparity indicates he could quickly bounce back with excellent defenders, like Swanson, behind him).
Speaking of a "quick bounce back," Swanson completely altered his season line this week at Citi Field, driving in 15 runs in a three-game series to bring his total to 46 on the year, blowing Norwegians' minds in the process. Now, after leaving them dazzled, his focus drifts back to the USMNT's chances of making a similarly unexpected splash in the knockout round.